An Angel's Way
by redskywalker29
Summary: Nothing is as it at's what Red and Green find out when they are assigned a long-term mission. For operatives like them, they never expected to learn that. But during their new mission, they meet people who force them to question their belief. A world of magic surrounds them, and an age old rivalry is renewed. Can they keep their ideals in a world that strives to break them?
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer.**

_Prologue_

_In the beginning, there was naught. Naught but two abstract forces, both struggling for superiority against one another, but never able to express their full will. Being abstract forces, they had no physical bodies and had no way to work their will against one another or in aid of creation, indeed they knew not of a physical body at all. And this lifeless struggle over nothing would have continued, if not for the arrival of a traveler._

_She (Or he it is not known.) had begun life with knowledge of other worlds. Worlds of physical strength and gods. Of magic and the true blades that struggle against one another on a vain attempt at superiority, and she knew of heroes sacrificing themselves for the good of all. _

_But she had lived in a time that was of great tragedy and darkness, and as opposed to her counterpart who remained in his realm, she became the embodiment of children, of innocence, and of playfulness. In short, this god was chaos embodiment, and her name was Mew._

_In her stressful times, Mew dreamed of another realm. While hers raged in warfare and darkness, she dreamed of a realm where forces fought but could never defeat one another. So great was her ambition of dreaming of this world, and so frequently that she did dream, it was but till a time until the other side of the realm was able to peer into the opposite world as well._

_Order was the first one to achieve thus. Order had been struggling, for before one starts with order, chaos will rule and order will fail. Order was losing the fight, of it could be called that, and in a fit of desperation, dreamed of other realms. One realm in particular..._

_Both Order and Mew benefited from this exchange. Mew gained the courage go along with her world, and the strength it took for her to keep her ideals. Eventually, that strength led her to becoming a god in her own right._

_Order, on the other hand, saw Mew's world through her own eyes, with eyes that were unprejudiced and critical. As chaotic as the struggle of that one realm was, in it Order saw beauty. _

_As Chaos threatened to succeed and plunge their world of nothing into a constant state of nothingness, Order created one last ditch plan. With all of it's remaining strength, it formed an egg. In it went all of Order's strength and desire to create, to build, and keep stable. In that she felt what remained of her powers go into. In that egg, was the makings of a god. _

_With what time and strength that remained, she hid the egg where none could find it, and then was destroyed by Chaos._

_What time went passed is hard to say, for time was non existent. Eventually, in a sea of chaos the egg hatched. In what had been the finest wrought piece of jewelry that Order had wrought went its ambitions and cause. Inside that egg went the heart and soul of Order itself. Inside that egg, Arceus hatched._

_In an instant, Chaos reacted with shock at this embodiment of Order. Striking out with what force it had, it was rewarded with not the death of this new god, but the impenetrable force that had once been Order. And then Arceus struck back._

_For what stood an age, the forces grappled. The mighty blasts of Arceus fighting against the onsets that Chaos produce and the blasts of energy it dropped from nowhere. In the end Chaos took what it had, and the universe that it created, and formed a giant shape of what could have been called his physical form. The two entities battled against one another, but despite Chaos's control, Arceus was unbeatable. _

_With one final blow, Arceus struck against the universe, the giant. Chaos shattered, weakened by the fighting for ages. From the giant, 18 shards fell through the hole in space. A shard of each color of a type that held the vague memories from a past life as Order. Additionally, a pink shard with the inscribing of fairy rounded the bunch, Sensing the power inside them, Arceus gathered them to himself and found himself in a state that was unbeatable, a form of total ascension into the form of a true god. (Coincidentally, this took place around the same time Mew ascended into a god form, but that's a different story)._

_With his new power, Arceus thrust the world into order, shaping a realm out of nothingness and creating order amidst the chaos. Filled with the desire for order, Arceus began to create his birthright. And that marks the start of the realm._

_To create the universe, he first created two beings. One was to control space, the other time. That would provide the elements necessary for a universe, which he had seen as Order had worked with Mew's universe. But unbeknownst to hm, Chaos was not yet defeated. Ever so subtly, and with what remained of its strength, Chaos whispered into Arceus's ears the creation of a third_ god.

_Arceus had no defense against this, for he took the whisper as his own mind and idea. Without knowing why, he created the third as well, despite not having a realm for him to rule. Arceus watched as the three gods were created, each filling with strength that could rival his own, but Arceus saw none of those implications. For him, he saw three sons. And that was how Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were created, _

_Arceus carefully watched, explained to, and guided them, as despite being born true gods they had experienced with their power. Under his tutelage, they were able to create what Arceus wanted. Space and time, were born the moment that they were created, but it never started until the two respective deities thrust it into creation. However, the seeds of doubt were planted that day in the mind of Giratina. Watching as his brothers/sisters created realms that were controlled by them, the god felt envious of their power. These doubts were aided as Chaos whispered into his ears with the only weapon he had left, but it was still many ages before Giratina formed his rebellion…_

_Arceus, oblivious to his son's jealousy, felt joy as the world around him was created. With space and time he was finally able to fulfil the ambitions of Order. He created three other gods as his sons were done with their tasks, and gave the powers that were imbibed in goodness, and what Order had seen in the world that was Mew's. He named them Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. In them he put power, but only together could they equal one of the creation trio, for Arceus was growing tired. And then, Arceus began to create life._

* * *

_**A**__s Arceus went through his tasks essential for life, Chaos stealthily slipped away. It had not the strength left to create a body to rival Arceus and could not stand up to him in a fight. He did however had enough strength to gain control of one. Chaos would wait until Giratina was alone, then seduce him into chaos. He'd be able to destroy this world and what was created by Arceus._

_That might have been what it would have done, and indeed Arceus would not be prepared to fight his own son so soon, but one factor saved the world from an early destruction. Mew, newly ascended and done with the troubles that plague her realm, was finally able to create the portal that she wanted, so that she could visit the realm she dreamed of. _

_Unknowingly, she create the portal near where Chaos laid, and Chaos watched as Mew came into their realm. Greedily, Chaos threw what caution it had to the side. Any thoughts of long term plans were stopped, for he sensed chaos incarnate in Mew, and it needed no time like Giratina's to emerge. Before Mew could recover from the strain it takes for creating a portal, Chaos invaded Mew's body._

_He expected to find the near godling that he had heard of from fighting Order. Indeed that was what Mew had been naught but a few days beforehand. Now Mew was a true god however, as equal to Arceus as there ever was, and to put long story short, immediately curb stomped the weakened Chaos. _

_Chaos was banished, his ashes spread into the thinnest bits, but he was not destroyed completely. Only able to whisper. And much time passed before he was able to do that. But he regained strength, and eons later, started what was known as Giratina's rebellion. But that was age slater. Until then, he merely drifted in rest._

* * *

_Time passed that is irrelevant to this story. It was full of misadventures and accidental discharges of massive blasts of power. Arceus having sensed Mew as she destroyed Chaos, was forced to deal with her childish antics for eons, even when she would go back to her world for tea. Indeed, Mew traveled through the two realms freely and rather quickly. Arceus actually enlisted her assistance in creating the world, and left an entire region to her. _

_Mew ended up making a recreation of her own world, including the name of Kanto, along with the bordering region of Johto, while Arceus created the rest of the world._

_TIme passed and many more gods were created to enlist, and Arcuses had filled with mortals as well. But an event happened that not even he could predict. Mew, remainder of the heroes f her own world, brought humans into the world. They were different from the Pokemon that Arceus had created._

_Arcuses soon found out that humans were capable of things that seemed alien to Arceus. Most were as the pokemon were, but some were different. They were cruel and greedy and wanted power. Even Mew was confused, for she had wanted the heroes not the villains of her world What they did not know what that Chaos whispered to them and drove them to madness. _

_With these villains, heroes emerged as in all tales. The battles fought between them astounded the gods, for this was alien to them. Arceus called a council of the legends to deal with it. In that council, Arceus came into a conclusion. He had an afterlife, but all went into it. The villains when they died caused trouble for the rest of eternity, Meanwhile, the heroes were forced to deal with them for the rest of eternity. Which was not what they deserved. _

_It took Mew and Arceus together to brainstorm an idea to match it. Mew recalled some of the myths and legends from her own world with the guardians of the afterlife and the guardians of eternal punishment. Arceus first doubted this idea, but an idea came into his mind. Giratina still had no realm of his own. He only had the ghostly powers that he had, of which Arceus had no clue where they came from. If he made a new realm, Giratina would have a place for himself to rule like his brothers/sisters. _

_After agreeing to the plan and enlisting the help of Giratina to aid in the creation of his own world, they brainstormed an idea. The distortion world. Giratina would rule from the distortion world, and all the souls of villains would go there letting the heroes could rest. It would be a land of bended physics, and inverted landmasses to cause the villains sickness, but no harm was to come of these villains. It was a far more wretched consequence to leave them alone forever. _

_To aid in the world, and to help Arceus in the afterlife, Arceus created two separate species of beings. One was to watch over the afterlife. They'd be full of good, kindness, and order, which were all traits Arceus that were good. They'd guide souls to the afterlife after they died, for the gods were getting tired of that , the other being would be loyal but uncaring in some ways. They would guide villains to the distortion world. They wouldn't feel horrible after dooming people to years of nothingness. Giratina mostly presided in their creation, for they were to be his subjects. Both were gifted with wings to aid them in their tasks. They were the first Angels and Demons._

_Arceus did not now, but Chaos was in Giratina's ear…_

_At first, angels and demons got on together rather well. They worked together, then took breaks with one another in a lighthearted sort of way. They balanced each other out, for angels were generally guarded and slow to let their emotions loose, while demons wore them on their sleeves_ _But theirs was a relation that worked well together. That peace soon shattered however…_

_Giratina eventually began to grow jealous. His powers over the negative zone included antimatter, but Giratina had absolutely no idea how to use it. His brothers and sisters were gifted with great powers and went up to great acts of mischief with them, often to the anoyment of their father._

_With his jealously churning, it was only a time before Chaos found Giratina. In his ears, Chaos whispered a plan. Giratina resisted at first, but eventually fell prey to the subtle whispers. In that plan did Giratina learn how to destabilize Arceus._

_It started innocently. A few souls bound for the negative zone ended up in the afterlife and vice versa. A few gods found their mountains blown up on accident. Rivalries were inflamed, and jealousy began to ran rampant. _

_What found Giratina out was patient Lugia. He had been near the surface of the ocean and resting after the fight between Groudon and Kyogre, which had been a few hundred years ago, in which he had taken a great part. He noticed Giratina flying by suspiciously,and on a whim decide to follow. There he watched as Giratina blew apart a plentiful area, turning the area in Hoenn into a desert and disappeared into the distortion world._

_Lugia angrily confronted Giratina in the distortion world and demanded answers. Giratina was the pleasing host before Lugia told him he saw the deed. With his act destroyed, Giratina began to fight with Lugia in a massively one side battle. With his knowledge of the distortion world, he sealed off everything. After beating Lugia, Chaos began to whisper in his ear once more. Giratina learned the process of turning a normal pokemon to a shadow pokemon. _

_Sensing the fighting in the distortion world. Ho-Ho entered. There he was greeted by a mockery of his former friend. Only by Giratina being weakened from the process was Ho-Ho able to escape, and he hastened to Arceus with the story of the betrayal._

_With his plans revealed, Giratina threw everything aside and activated his plan. All around the realm demons hastened to his call, loyal to him for being there creator and not Arceus. To his side, he called Darkrai, promising the shadow the hand of Cresilla the moon goddess, for they were having a romance, and for some reason thought that it was forbidden. (It wasn't). The worse blow that Giratina used was by far the most dastardly. He opened up the gates of the Distortion world, and flooded the world with the villains who were now horribly disfigured and loyal to Giratina. _

_Arceus took charge then and tried to confront his son. With him he took his finest angels and Mew , and his other two sons. His intention was peace. What he got was war. Giratina refused to listen to Arceus and attempted to kill him. Literally infused with Chaos, Giratina took a new shape using an orb condensed into darkness. The unexpected power stopped Arceus and forced him to retreat, with great cost of lives and power._

_The war dragged on. Giratina was mobile and never able to be captured or fought. The only ones he feared where Arceus and his two siblings, and he began to induce his brothers to fight with one another. Their fighting greatly impeded the effort of Arceus and his forces. In the end, Arceus was forced to seal them away for the rest of the war. Arceus in desperation took all his plates to fight Giratina, but he could never find battle was going sour for Arceus. Hope began to be lost._

_Mew found herself in a world much similar to her own former world. She could not flee to her original, which was know embroiled in peace, for she was needed here. The strain caught upon her and finally Mew snappe. Arceus was too full of order and pride to resort to the methods needed to win. He began a fight with Giratina and all his force s by himself and was losing. His trust in his plates' powers was broken by the endless hordes. _

_Arceus was too full of order and wouldn't do what needed to be done, so Mew did. She was chaos incarnate in her own world afterall. Gathering about a few of the smaller but equally powerful gods, including Victini, Jirachi, and Celebi, Mew opened up the realm. She invoked time and brought in the greatest heroes of the past and the future to aid her. She went to other realms and found their most virtuous and strongest heroes. She went to the remaining angels and found their strongest and purest of heart. She found the demons who struggled to resist against Giratina's orders and freed them. In the end, Mew assembled a small squad the greatest the realm had to offer. Then she sent them to Arceus._

_Arceus was losing the battle. Waves of enemies had him outnumbered. He was too stubborn to retreat, but not powerful enough to win. The end of the age seemed nigh. Then with the rising dawn, did the group of Mew's heroes arrive. WIth their formidable process, they cut a path to Arceus and saved him from exhaustion. They distracted the hordes and fallen gods, while Arceus confronted his wayward son. _

_Harsh words were reputed to be said between them, and they fought. Arceus was weak from fighting while Giratina was as fresh as ever. Arcue began to lose ground. His plates began to fall to the ground rendered useless. Then, one future snet angel appeared from the thick of the fighting. Giratina was too distracted to notice an ant, and was not prepared as that angel took one of the plates of Arceus. In his hands, the plate morphed into a blade the finest to be seen in the realm, and he was filled with power. He climbed up on the back of Giratina and stabbed him with the plate. It was the fairy plate and did massive super effective damage to Giratina, who threw him off hurting him greatly. Sensing his distraction, Arceus rose up and struck down Giritna. He began to cast his spell to banish him._

_Giratina then stared at the broken angel, who laid beside him. His wings were broken and strength spent, but he was still alive. Giratina began to cast one last curse. Fueled with his power of chaos and vengeance, Giratina swore vengeance on that angel. The words he said were thus, " If I am to be chained now, then let my killer and all his like be chained thus!" The angel gasped as he felt his wings fade. Around him the angels felt their wings fade and many fell to the ground in pain. _

_Giratina laughed with insane joy, but he was silenced as Arcue completed his spell. Arceus was unable to kill his own son, and so sealed him away into the distortion world. The demons were sealed there as well for supporting Giratina, but Arceus allowed them to leave, for some did not willingly follow the dark god. Darkrai was banished to an island, and would be sealed until one of a holy heart released him willingly and knowingly. He wouldn't see Crseillia again unless it was a visit from her when Arceus wasn't looking. Shadow Lugia was problematic, and sealed away until a few years of shock therapy reverted him to his senses. It is said Lugia very rarely left the trench in the sea again after that._

_Arceus looked upon his fallen friends and angels, and he saw their wings gone. Arceus tried with his power, but was not able to break the spell upon them. He could only remove it a little. Arceus made it so that the lost wings of an angel would return when that angel committed a deed that was worthy, and gave something to help, protect, or save, but they'd only last a time._

_Arceus then sent all the future travellers to their time in the future and wiped their memories, and sent the travelers from other realms of their own worlds, of whom he didn't wipe their minds of the event, for he wouldn't interfere with their futures that were beyond his jurisdiction. Arceus then retreated to his throne on spear pillar, and sealed it off. He was never seen again if not for the whispers he sent to the worthy._

* * *

"And that is how the angels lost their wings." Crystal said finishing her story right as their mission objective began to draw near.

**Extra-**

"How did you like the story Lyra? It's been awhile since I've told that story so i'm not actually sure if I did it justice" Crystal asked her sister, who was clinging on to the other leg of Xatee the Xatu that Crystal used.

"I think you spend too much time on the back story," The smile on Lyra's face didn't break, even when Crystal kicked her off in midair and she plummeted downward and on top of the unfortunate Green, riding his Charizard.

Crystal huffed. "That's how that story has been told for generations!" She shouted down.

"It's okay I guess," Lyra said. "But you could have started with Giratina's rebellion and made the point!"

"It would have made no sense if I started with Giritia!"

"It would for everyone who knows this story. It's not like we've all haven't heard this tale before!" Lyra called back, causing Green to groan and shove his hand to his ears.

"Enough! I've got enough of a headache already!" Green said to Lyra his eyes narrowing. "And don't you have your own flying type?"

"He's at home. This is a recon mission, not a mission to blow things up." Lyra shot back. Green scowled. With one hand he tapped Charizard's back and the mighty fire type quickly shot up in the air over Crystal and her Xatee. Aware of Lyra's protest's, he almost regretted shoving her off to be caught by Crystal. He hadn't even drunk his coffee yet and wasn't emotionless like he should be. His hands reached into the saddle of Charizard, of which he made for long flights, to find his coffee. His hand reached, but he found nothing…

Below him, Lyra was caught in midair by Xatee's psychic powers, the trick of having a small bird carrying two people. Crystal kept her back to Lyra in irritation. "Shouldn't you be taking this more seriously?"

Lyra laughed. "You should see yourself." Crystal turned around and to her horror saw Lyra wth Green's coffee drinking down the entire thing.

Panic immediately set in. "You know what caffeine does to you!" Crystal said lunging for the cup. "You know you get a comic book hero's mentality!" She tried to keep her voice down but shouted all the same.

Green cursed up above as he saw the sight. "That's it you and Ruby can walk to your mission, I'm going to go fly with Red!" Crystal said before going to fly with her squad leader.

A caffeinated Lyra was usually not attentive, but hopefully she wouldn't need to be. It was a reconnaissance mission after all. What could go wrong?


	2. A Covert Operation

Chapter 1- A Covert operation

Time- A half hour ago, or so is suspected. It's hard to tell time here-

* * *

The sound of flapping was reassuring to Red's ears. They blotted out most noise and most thoughts as well. Perhaps if he closed his eyes, then maybe, just maybe, he'd be somewhere, anywhere other than here.

But no, for when he opened his eyes, all he saw was the dark night before him, lit up by the bright florescent lights of the game corners that littered the streets of Goldenrod. Kricketune chirped in the dark, with their sound pervading through the silent night. A Hoothoot flew by, while it was carried by silent wings, before it let out a shriek cry and dived down for prey. A few people were walking about with eyes cast to the ground. Even if they looked up, all they would see was the tall buildings that littered Johto's biggest town. Red recalled vaguely that they weren't the biggest in the world, for the monolith skyscrapers in Unova earned that title, Red heard that they were bigger than most mountains, but not that it made him feel better. Besides, it didn't matter, for no one would be able to see him through the shadows.

Red shifted uncomfortably and looked up from his suspended position to the pokemon that carried him. Aero was a good friend, a purple dinosaur with sharp claws, wings, and jagged teeth. His move-set allowed him a variety of types, and it always brought Red a smile when an opponent would bring out a water type only to be knocked out from thunder fang.

As wonderful as these things were, it still didn't make riding in his claws comfortable. Aero wasn't big enough to ride bareback, and he needed time to grow. From what Red could remember, dinosaurs took a _long _time to grow. Which left Red hanging from claws across the night sky.

Red was glad when the building he wanted finally loomed into sight. Growlithe Enterprises may not have been the fastest mail delivery service, but since the headquarters was in Goldenrod, it mean that it was one of the biggest buildings in the city.

Nearing the roof, Red's confidence dropped the slightest bit. The building was massive. It was like an entire city by itself. The thoughts of his friends and the mission turned his courage to steel though. Without a moment's hesitation, Red dropped down from Aero. He landed on his feet without stumbling an inch.

Readying himself, Red put his foot forward, and found his path blocked by an arm. Without pausing to think why, he grabbed it, while using the weight behind it to throw the person in front of him.

"Oww!" Red's eyes widened in horror as he saw who he had thrown. Crystal found herself on the ground with her back was strewn against the rocks and her arm bruised from where it had been grabbed. "What was that for?"

He knew that his case was a shaky one. "I didn't know it was you! I was surprised and reacted!" Red pleaded anyway. Crystal looked at him indignantly. They had gone over the fact that Crystal would have been traveling with him in favor of his normal partner, Green. It just had been him being overexcited that had caused him to make an error like that.

"Well now you can be busy with dealing with all the armed guards that come storming up here after all the trouble we made making a silent exit!" Crystal said, with mouth bared angrily as she picked herself up. "Throwing me, really!"

What did you say to ease a person so intense and passionate? Red didn't know, and he was not going to find out anytime soon. He wondered why he was stuck with Crystal. Not that there was anything wrong with her, but she was always so focused that it scared him. It was too much like Green, except Green was usually silent nowadays.

Red put any lingering questions and thoughts aside, and he was ready to go through the door leading down under the building. Before he could take a step though, Crystal was already near the ventilation pipes, with lips curved angrily. Red braced himself to be scolded.

Crystal grabbed her bag and began to rummage inside it. "Did you pay any attention Red! You know that we have to go through this ventilation system to get in!" Crystal said. She apparently found what she needed, because she waved to her bird Pokemon to come closer.

For the first time, Red noticed the Xatu that Crystal had ridden on the way. Xatee, the plumage covered, green-headed psychic, flew a short distance to Crystal's arm and latched her talons into Crystal's arm.

Crystal flinched as razor sharp talons pierced her, but she continued her lecture to Red. "Are you going to forget that Ruby is going to cause a distraction downstairs so that Green and Lyra can get in? Are you going to forget that the door will trigger an alarm when opened? Use foresight Xatee, let's see if that is a wire down there." The last part was to Xatee, whose eyes flashed gold shimmering with power while gazed into the ventilation shaft.

"_Nothing out of the ordinary here. Just a ventilation shaft my old friend." _Red flinched. A voice appeared into his mind, a wise feminine one that spooked him. It was uncomfortable to listen to physics in one's mind, especially if you are not the main addressee.

Crystal smiled, through her heart wasn't into it. "Thanks Xatee," Crystal said and returned the pokemon. "Well that _should _be all the traps taken care of, but I'm not sure." The strain in her voice was evident, while not a rookie as Ruby was, Crystal and her sister were no experienced veterans either. Red resolved to take the squad out for ice cream when this was all over, just for kicks. They'd need it if the intel was right. He could feel his weapon in his pack, and that made him uneasy. He might need to use it. It being a sword that fit into his pack. A sword that caused lots and lots of civilian damage. But that wouldn't happen. He knew they'd be fine...

Regardless, Red was ready to climb inside. "What are we waiting for?" Why there was a ventilation shaft in the first place, Red didn't know. At least it didn't lead to the main reactor where a torpedo could destroy the building in one shot. That would be too ridiculous for such a serious place.

Crystal stopped him once again. A smile was appearing on her stern face and she looked like she was stifling a giggle. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Crystal asked. Red's mind scrambled thinking of what he had forgotten. Was it something to do with his light armor? He'd taken his light set so it would be concealed, but he might have not been supposed too. He couldn't remember. They might have been supposed to go in without any of their special skills or equipment for security reasons. One of the reasons being an operative was so difficult.

A snort from above told him what his mistake had been. Aero's wings beat down before landing heavily on the ground. Aero stared straight at Red's face and said, "_So, are we ready to go kick some ugly kidnappers butt? I really want to see what happens if I use a Hyperbeam on some weaponry. Would it explode? They fire using gas I think, so it should blow up. Could we go for pizza afterwards?"_

Of course, Red didn't understand what he said, but he knew Aero well. The fact that the dinosaur was grinning toothily, the slightest spark of light crackling in his throat like he was about to blast something, gave Red a solid idea what he was thinking. Smiling sheepishly he returned him to his poke ball.

"Well since you're the best battler, I guess you should go first." Crystal sounded unsure, almost nervous. Given the dire strait of the mission, and the cost if they failed, Red wasn't too surprised. He was actually hoping that his information was wrong, and some miscalculation had been made.

Right as he crawled through the opening, and only a heartbeat away from the drop down, he heard Crystal whisper to herself, as was her habit. "At least I think I got all the traps." Great. Just the kind of encouragement he needed. Screwing up his courage, and putting a damper on his eagerly beating heart, Red plunged in.

* * *

There was a downwards drop, for a good ten feet. If he hadn't been expecting it, Red could have hurt himself. It would be too difficult to go through the mission with a broken arm.

He peered down the dark empty passage. He couldn't make head or tails out of it. Too dark. With a growing suspicion that this was going to be a bad time, he realized that the corridor shrunk after the first thirty feet. It was going to be cramped. Red might not fit.

Behind him he heard Crystal land, followed with her quick whisper, "I'm ready to go." Not much was said as the two made their way across, for each dealing with their own thoughts.

Red was worried, for he had a bad feeling about this place. He usually was never wrong. Crystal was probably worried about her sister. If asked to put herself in danger to help someone else, she wouldn't even hesitate to agree. Put her sister in danger though? She'd worry herself to death. Judging from Lyra's near ADHD tendencies and complete lack of self preservation, he wasn't too surprised. He actually sympathized with her.

It began to get dark further down, and Red could hardly see an inch in front of his face. He dropped his hands to his belt and grabbed his nearest pokeball, opening it. The dark passage was momentarily lit up in a flash of light before fading to darkness. In front of Red was a yellow mouse with tiger shaped patterns on the back and two red spots in the front. It didn't look at all dangerous, but first looks weren't truth. Behind the cute cheeks was the tightly coiled heart of a warrior, and his very body radiated a strong current of electricity. It's tiny body also held the most unforgiving and harshest pokemon to walk in the immediate area.

"Pika," Pika said, or at least that was what Red understood. What Pika actually said was more along the lines of, "_Why are we in a dark space, and why did you have to wake me up from my nap?_"

Red tapped Pika's shoulder once whispering, "Do me a solid and use flash buddy alright?" Pika stared at Red for a moment before making a little shrug, and a bright light burst from his tail. It flashed out brilliantly, then leveled off to an average glow. "Since you've got the light, I guess you can lead the way." Pika snorted at Red before scampering forward and lighting the path.

The rest of the way was in silence, other than the squeaking of one of the pair's shoes as they dragged it across the floor, or the muffled breathing of the three as they crawled forward. Red turned his mind to what lay ahead. The tower was owned by a mobster by the name of Otis and Red got a bad vibe off him. If the plan worked, then they wouldn't have to cross paths with him at all. They just needed to get in and get out.

From what Red could remember, which wasn't much, as he was recovering from a bout of a nasty flu, the blueprints stated that there would be an opening just in sight in only 20 yards-

"More like thirty yards."

Red recoiled. Was he really that obvious? Or was Crystal just that good? You'd have to be good trying to guess what was going through the mind of everyone when they got into their habits. Especially Lyra, who was difficult to manage even when she wasn't caffeinated. Either way, it was creepy. But Red trusted Crystal completely. She was the arguably the brightest one out of them, with the sole exception of Green.

Not much time passed between the short conversation and the time it took for the metal grate to appear. It was a large one, but they were in a narrow ventilation system, so that wasn't much. If Red tried, he'd just be able to slip in, and they'd be only a few rooms away from their ultimate destination.

Red quickly crossed over to the other end of the grate, and Crystal grabbed one of the metal cutters she kept in her bag. She tossed one to Red, and they quickly dismantled the grate. With the bars cut, Red would just be able to squeeze in, and no one had heard the noise of cutting metal. They looked at each other, and a grin formed on Red's face. They were in. Crystal swung her legs over the hole and dropped down.

Red waited. A whistle meant it was clear. Yelling at the top of her lungs meant she was in trouble.

He waited, but the only sound was her dropping to the ground. That was immediately followed by a hoarse shout which was quickly cut off. "_Huuuuuuuurk!"_

Red quickly peered down at the ground. Crystal was on the ground in a big office room waving to Red. A big bald man was passed out beside her, with foam on his lips and a foot shaped impression against his skull. Red dropped down.

Now that he was on ground level, he could see the scene better. Crystal looked fine, besides the fact that a hulking six foot man was lying next to her passed out. Red took a quick breath. There was a slight tang in the air that felt familiar in Red's mind. Curious. The air was tinged with the slightest tinge of... was it strawberries?

"Erika let you borrow one of her plants to make chloroform formula didn't she?"

Try as she might, Crystal couldn't help but grin. "It was her newest batch. You know how she likes strawberries. I had Green help whip up some. A quick jab against his windpipe made him gasp and force in the formula. Kicking him in the head was to make him lose consciousness faster." She gestured to the man next to her, with his chest rising and falling but no movement visible from the man.

"Nice!" For a moment, Red forgot where he was. He felt the adrenalin rise in him with the enthusiasm evident. Red was supposed to be serious in a mission with danger, but he could never manage it. He always harbored that little thought that made him excited at the thought of danger and battle. He usually kept a leash on it. The fact that they had made it this far, however, loosened him up a bit. "Come on, let's see if we're the first ones there."

Red looked outside the door, but no one was in sight. Part of him marveled at their luck. It seemed to be going well. Yet why did he still have the bad feeling at the back of his mind?

The three, two humans and a Pikachu, made their way across the hall before reaching a wide rowan door labeled with a brass 101 sign near the top. Red would have been excited, because this was the room they needed, if not for the fact that something seemed off. The door was hanging loosely, with one of the hinges violently bashed in, and long scratches gorged into the wall. The floor was damaged with long cuts from some kind of sharp object, and a head sized impression was burned into the wall.

A crisp wind was blowing from inside, and Red felt his back chill. Something had gone down here. As always in danger, he had the spike he had in adrenaline and danger that naught but a fight could give him. A good fight.

Without waiting for Red to catch up, Pika jumped off his shoulder wide awake and ready for some action, "_Come on! Let's see what's in here!"_ Pika took a flying leap off Red's shoulder before darting into the spacious room.

Now Red couldn't understand what Pika had said, but he had made his intentions pretty clear. "Come on. Let's hope we don't lose him," he said entering the room. Inside he felt excited. Something had totaled the place.

He burst into the room. It was massive in length and height, a good fifty feet either direction. What he saw told him he needn't have worried nor grown excited, for standing amidst the loose men writhing on the floor and the bruised mobsters in mid of semi conscious knockout, while reading his book in the middle of the room and leaning against his chair with no care in the world was Green. And without a single auburn hair out of place or bruise on his body.

Green looked up from the book he had been reading. "Hey Red! I was wondering when you'd get here!" He said, before returning his gaze to his blue hardcover book.

Red took the time he had to sit in the chair and bury the ambition to smash his head against a wall. He contemplated the rival who had once again beaten him to their destination. Green's auburn hair was clearly visible from the disappointed position Red was in. Green had been wearing his normal outfit despite multiple reasons not to. He might have been too tired or focused on something else to bother changing out of his purple shirt or black pants. His pendulum that hung from his neck, a gift from his grandfather, was obscured by the blue hardcover book he was currently reading with his focused intensive eyes. The picture of the book was also obscured by the shadows of the room. Which figured. Red wanted to know what kind of book would make Green want to read it while surrounded by the unconscious bodies of multiple men.

Green stayed silently absorbed in his book, with an air of complete lack of care of whatever went on around him. It was one of the things that irked Red, but at least it was better than the cocky braggart he used to be. Red shivered at the thought. He'd been rather unlikable back then, before he changed into a quieter, more focused self. He was still annoying though.

"Sorry to interrupt your little fight here, but Green have you seen Lyra?" Crystal asked the faintest hint of worry poured in to the words.

Green looked as if he was stifling a yawn. "They'll be here in ten seconds." A thought was bugging Red. Green wasn't really someone to act like this. What with the danger involved, what was going on? Green was acting strangely, and Red could not help but wonder about it. It might have to do something about the reason why he decided to bunk with Red in his house a few weeks ago…

* * *

_Flashback_

_Red answered the door to his small home. "What's going on Green?" He asked as he saw Green holding a box, of all things, filled with his numerous possessions._

"_I'm bunking with you now." Green said, and pushed his way into the house._

_(Okay. Maybe Red was exaggerating a little, but it was funny! Sorta.)_

* * *

Any further musings were stopped as a loud voice echoed down the empty halls and into the rooms.

"Come on Ruby! We're going to be the last ones there!" Red flinched. It was a stealth mission of utmost importance, with a danger level incredibly high, so of course Lyra would be running down the halls talking loudly in the cheerful way of hers, as if she had no concerns in the world. Red sometimes wondered what that felt like.

The sound of two people with one person running and one was probably being dragged based on their personalities stopped near the door. Without a moment's hesitation towards the damage caused to the door and surrounding hall, Lyra plunged into the room, an arm dragging Ruby's shoulder with her. "Yes, we're here!"

Red took a good look at her. Her face looked flushed from the running, and she was gasping for lack of breath which meant she'd been running for a while. She didn't get tired easily. None of the squad did. It wasn't in their genetic structure, unlike a normal person. Her ridiculous puffy white hat slipped down her eyes obscuring them. She really needed to get it fixed. She was wearing overalls which reminded one of a Mario.

Red could recall asking her to wear something suited for sneaking into rooms and rough wear. Instead she had worn her normal outfit. What was worse was that this was the probably the best outfit choice she could have made. Red could still remembered when they stormed a drug lord's base, and she'd been wearing her Halloween costume. (Admittedly, it was a good one, Lyra was a decent cosplayer).

Lyra finally noticed their presence in the room. "What! We're the last ones here? Oh come on! I told you to stop checking your reflection in mirror!" The brunette complained to Ruby who was shoving Lyra's arm out of the way and fixing the wrinkles on his shirt.

Red took a closer look at Ruby who was trying to get his outfit so that it looked like he'd just ironed it, despite the fact that he lacked both an iron and the time needed to do that. His outfit's color scheme was black with red background and was the kind of material used for swimming rather than the drier atmosphere of the Johto/Kanto area. Since he was from Hoen, the region covered in H2o, Red wasn't too surprised. He didn't exactly know why it mattered to keep his outfit so clean and carefully selected based on color and designs, but Ruby took it to an art. Of course, his reaction when someone ruined his outfit was annoying. But at least he didn't get angry, like the time someone tried to take off the hat he always wore, a white hat that looked like his hair. It hadn't ended well when they did that...

Ruby was apparently satisfied with his current state and looked towards Lyra. "You know as well as I do that I had to fix my outfit! You knocked it aside when you took out that security guard on the third floor!"

Something stuck Red's memory, but before he could say anything, Lyra giggled at Ruby.

"Lighten up Ruby! If I didn't take out that security guard, then he would have run the bell and all those people meeting in that big secret hidden room no one is supposed to know about would have came rushing out!" Lyra might have sounded reasonable, that is, if Lyra didn't stick her tongue out at Ruby who noticed and grimaced.

Red would have stepped in between the two, but Crystal was already there. A virtue of being Lyra's twin he supposed, was sensing when a fight would occur based on her ridiculous caffeinated phrases. "Stop it the two of you!" Crystal shouted, and pulled the both of their ears apart with a stern look on her face, a sharp look of ice in her dark brown eyes. "Now what are you talking about? I went over the blueprints in the building and the schedule of the guards. Your path shouldn't have crossed anybody!" Crystal did not like it when unknown elements were introduced to her plans.

Lyra removed the hand grabbing her ear."Hmm, you didn't notice." Lyra said thoughtfully. "They were a group of gangsters planning how to best steal the magic diamond necklace they received information about. After we completed our mission we need to go find them and stop their evil Italian plans!"

Crystal looked in confusion to the two older members in the room. Unfortunately, Red was as clueless as possible, and judging from Green's too late reaction to keep his face blank, he wasn't the only one. Lyra was normally very energetic and cheerful, but Arceus save them if Lyra didn't spout nonsense when she was heavily caffeinated. There's a reason why the only coffee in Crystal's and her's house is buried under piles of paperwork, which is something she'd normally never touch.

Ruby noted our looks of confusion, "I have no idea what she's talking about. She's been like this ever since she so rudely knocked me over to take out the security guard. There is too much going on here, and I for one don't like it. To mysterious, with too many guards out of place, and there's too many chances to get dirty for my liking!"

Ruby was weird like that. He cared too much about his appearance, but he could cut through the heart of a matter. That little speech shut the rest of our moaning up. This discussion was taken up time from completing the reconnaissance for the mission. They had to know what they were dealing with. Red was ready to continue, but found himself strained to remember the next direction.

It was Green that saved him from an embarrassing discussion with Crystal. "The door is down that hall and to the right. Didn't you pay attention to the blueprints?" Well it saved him from facing Crystal at least. He only had to get a scolding from Green who was just as bad.

Red assumed that he'd as busy contemplating other things, but he didn't know where to go. Try as he might, he couldn't recall what his plan was. Pika was up ahead in the corridor though, and he was not looking happy. Red decided to go after him instead.

Pika stared at Red for a second, before he jumped up and slapped Red's face with his tail. "_How in the name of Arceus did you miss an entire hallway? What kind of an idiot are you! Now come on we have a duty to perform!" _As he had feared, laughter filled the room as Red rubbed his raw cheek. Red turned around to see his fellow partners all laughing hysterically at him, even Green looked as if he was trying to stifle a chuckle, although it may have been a trick of the light. Red wasn't too sure about Green lately. Still, it was sad if you had Green even near a chuckle.

Finally the last of the laughter died down, and the room grew silent as Crystal walked towards the hallway, with a fierce glint of determination in her eyes. They knew the next part, for she was their strategist for a reason. "Red, you and Pika should take point. Green should be the rear guard and cover for us. The rest of us should be fine if we stay alert." She put forth, which was instantly voted as a good plan.

Red looked at Pika, whose irritation had faded. "_Come on_!" he said. The group fell into a single line with Red in the front. Green stayed back a few paces keeping a wary eye out. The rest of the group followed in between. The hall was narrow and was nearly claustrophobic. Before long, they were beginning to get tired, and there was no end in sight. "Where's the door? Lyra asked.

"It's to the left," Green said, not bothering to even cast an eye. "It's hidden in the frameworks, but if you look closely there is a slight distortion in the wall frame." Green walked towards the wall drawing his hand against the side. He paused halfway through the hall. He fiddled with something for a few microseconds before a sharp crack was heard. Red flinched as the wall extended forward and out, which revealed a darkened passage heading downwards. "Why do they always think that hidden doorways are any effective?" Green mused before yawning and heading backwards in the line.

Red stared in amazement at his friend, but Pika was tired of the delay. Pika jumped in front of Red. "_You ready to go now, or do I have to shock you again?"_

Red ignored whatever Pia had said and replied, "Come on. Use flash so we can get going!" Pika screwed up his eyes and focused his power. From the tip of his tail, a bright light flashed out, Red shielded his eyes. It flared for a few seconds, before it leveled off to a somewhat moderate setting akin to a torch or flashlight.

"_Come on!" _Pika said, and headed off into the darkness. Red's blood began to pound. He could sense excitement coming soon. He pushed onward with the others following behind.

What he didn't know was what he'd find down there, nor what repercussions it would have. What he did know however, was one simple fact. He had a bad feeling about that place. What scared him though, was how he relished the challenge it showed. For somebody like him, and what he was inside, that was a bad thing to have...

* * *

_Wondering why we were stupid enough to get into a situation like this? Are you wondering why there weren't any adults helping us in the slightest bit, dear diary? Do you wonder why there are gangsters in Johto in the first place and how they are operating out of a perfectly good building in the middle of a city without any opposition? Do you wonder why the police force is so terrible in this region?_

_Well, I guess I can't answer last two, heaven knows why, but perhaps exploring ahead will clear up a few answers. You must certainly be confused, I know I am._

_Excerpt from the journals of Red, last name unknown, battle specialist. Vol. 6._


	3. An Iron Cage

**Chap 2- An iron cage -  
**

* * *

_**Written concerning the events of a mission in the city of Goldenrod.**_

_**Squadron Member- Green**_

_**Rank- Second in command.**_

_**Time- Sometime after midnight.**_

_**For a few reasons, I decided to write in this journal. One, is that it's optional to submit this as a report instead of the usual file and papers needed after something went wrong. Second, because this would make the report easier when my grandfather rescinds the rule of submitting journal entries after reading Lyra's nonsense or Ruby's fashion tips. Somebody had to be the one to write these reports and Crystal was too exhausted to safely work on them, despite the reassurances that she's okay. Command needs to know what went wrong so we could explain why we blew a hole in the city. Knowing my grandfather, however, I doubt that will work out. He'd probably give us a medal, the fool...**_

_**Excerpt from the journals of Green Oak, Training specialist Vol. 6.**_

* * *

Secret doors were cliché. Later on, he and Crystal would agree on that, but the fact remained that something had to be of worth guarding if someone went through all the effort to build one. The work had also been of a higher standard than the norm for a secret door or such. There was only one small mistake made that allowed Green to find this door. An irregularity in the electrical wires and pipelines carrying water and gas appeared in the area. The builders had failed to contemplate about the wires, which were done by a separate company. However, the door had been of solid work, so it stood to reason that something of importance had been back there. The tip they had received earlier had also stated that the targets of the operation was somewhere in the area as well.

Green was left alone in his thoughts as normal. That was how he liked it, and that was how the others liked him. At least normally. Green's heart began to fall. Behind him he could see Ruby falling behind the group. That meant he would have to listen to another one of his annoying rants again. He would have to be the victim of Ruby and his obsession with clothing this time. Crystal and Lyra were talking together, and Red was busy scouting ahead. Ruby wouldn't want to interfere with the mission, so he would have come back with Green and talk, despite Green's lack of care in the subject matter and his role in plotting an escape route.

He'd have to be civil with Ruby. It would break his image of nonchalance and interfere with the mission, but that didn't mean he had to listen. As Ruby began to talk to Green, the squad leader in question fell upon an old tactic of his. Green shut out all the noise out of his ear, and he found himself a quiet place in his own mind. He took advantage of it to contemplate a plan of action for any unwanted circumstances. There always were. All the while, he kept up the image that he was listening to Ruby's rant.

He kept an eye ahead of him looking for Red. He should be back soon. The building couldn't go on forever, despite it's fearsome length. Pika had stayed behind with him to light the way, while Red used a flashlight he borrowed from Crystal. To the side of him, Ruby carried on his one sided conversation with Green. "So Misty would not let me convince her to put on a dress. I even tried to have Erika show her that it was safe, and that still didn't convince her!" Ruby paused to wait for a response, before he continued a moment later. Green knew perfectly well that Ruby and the others only made the pretense of asking him questions and waiting for responses. Apparently, Red was worried about how Green was turning out. He was only acting like a good operative and getting rid of emotions. That was what had to be done.

Green was shaken out of his thoughts when the light from Red's Pikachu unexpectedly cut out. Only something happening to his trainer nearby could have done that. By the time Crystal had finished panicking and fished out another flashlight, Green was already hurtling through the path ahead to find Red and leaving the others behind.

Green only had to travel for thirty seconds at a fast jog before he found Red. Or more precisely, Red found him. Red slammed into Green nearly toppling the both of them. There was a look in his crimson eyes.

The look in Red's eyes shocked Green. They looked wild, scattering everywhere.. He immediately shut up as Red grabbed Green's arm. "You need to see this!" Without waiting for Green's answer, Red ran off with him.

Green frowned as his eyes began to adjust. Up ahead was a low voltage light. Why would they need a light here, and not the rest of the passage? Then he saw what had made Red upset. The sight made him sick.

At first glance, it was a low lit room, and cramped and claustrophobic. Mold grew from the walls, and the atmosphere was heavier, as if the humidity was too a few levels higher. The room was in a state of disrepair that would have made any health inspector worth his books decommission the building

That wasn't what made Green sick though, for in the center of the rooms and surrounded by iron bars set in a loose but efficient formation were cages. The cages of the kind used by smugglers when a wild pokemon was too rough. Steel cages which were incredibly cramped and stuffy. illegal in most regions as well.

Cages which contained beaten red, exhausted, half starved, children. Small, young, half-beaten children.

Green felt like he wanted to be sick. Red looked like he was going to be sick. Years of dangerous situations abled him to keep emotionless on the outside, but inside his feeling were a whirlwind. They didn't tell you this when you signed up. People shouldn't do this. All of him raged at the idiocy of these conditions. There was hardly enough room to stretch your arms!

In the moment it took for these feelings of revulsion to register, the others had already arrived. By then, it was too late to block the sight.

Crystal took one look and blanched. Ruby was new. He'd hardly seen this kind of action. Highly trained or not, this wasn't something to be seen. Lyra, who was normally sickenly cheerful if ridiculous, did not look sick. Instead she looked as if a fire had been lit inside her emotions. This would not end well.

Without any reservation, Lyra began to fumble with the locks. Ruby tried the cage to the left, but with no avail. The kids weren't moving. Green couldn't even tell if they were breathing for Arceus's sake! Green grabbed a pokeball from his belt. "Scizor," He said. A flash of light filled the room as two legged figure emerged from the pokeball. It had bright red armor and claws that shone from the time that he spent sharpening it.

The flash of light filled the rooms. Green could see bright red hair from all of them with similar green eyes. Their clothes were tattered and none of them looked really old. Red tried slamming into the iron cage before Crystal handed him one of the metal cutters she had with her. With a nod from Greed, Scizor cut through the bars with his razor sharp claws. Ruby began to unlock the cages and half dragged the children in them out.

Crystal looked visibly shaken from the cruelty. "Are you okay?" She asked supporting one of them as he struggled to get up.

His breathing was hoarse and he looked like he'd been thrown into a gutter. He must not have had any water, because he showed most of the major signs of dehydration. Worse, he looked as if he'd been beaten. "Are you here to help us? Or is this another way you're going to hurt us?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion, though he looked as if he could hardly stand. Green silently cursed the person who had done this to the most terrible consequence he could think of.

Other children were being dragged out from the cages, but Green payed attention to only the boy. He was orange haired and probably relate to the rest of the one seemed to be the oldest.

Crystal helped the poor boy stand. "What's your name?' she asked. Green kept an eye on the entrance as the kid began to talk.

"My name- my name is Bill." The kid asked. He sounded horrible. Crystal tried to rummage through her pouch for something to give to him, but Green beat her to it. He unclasped his canteen and forced it under Bill's lips. Gratefully, he gulped it down with the attitude of a starving man.

Green took the canteen away as it was finished. "Who are the others?" He asked.

Bill hesitated a moment at the authority in his words before replying. "My name- is Bill," he repeated. "My Brothers are Charlie, Frederick, and George." He pointed to the second oldest boy, who was being carried by Lyra. That left Green to assume that the other kids were Frederick and George.

"Go on" Crystal said warmly, her eyes were kindly gazing at him. Bill looked unused to all the attention.

"We were- playing one time in the yard." He faintly said. ""Mom and Dad were in the house yelling at each other about something bad. They said they couldn't keep fighting if they had kids." Green nodded in enlightenment. He was starting to understand why they hadn't heard about all the kids with all the special skills the organization had. These were kids from an area that was strictly off limits for people like them. It was currently in the midst of a civil dispute with a powerful terrorist.

Bill looked liked he wanted to start crying. The memories held him in disgrace as they flowed towards him once again. He seemed locked in the horrors only kid could recall with the alterations from their young minds. "I got angry because it sounded like Mommy and Daddy didn't want us. So I convinced Charlie to run away with me. We took Frederick and George, but Percy didn't come. He was always waiting for Mom to tell him what to do."

Bill was about to bawl. Green began to get sick to himself. He looked like he was in terrible condition mentally. He'd need counseling before this was over. Bill continued, locked in his story that he was telling. No force would make the young kid stop from telling his tale now. "We ran a bit, but there was a forest nearby, and we got lost. We wandered forever but couldn't find our way back. We were so tired. There was flashes of light from a direction, and we began looking towards there. A man there. He said he was a good guy and was smiling, but he looked as if he was a terror. He was covered in this awful awful red color down his shirt. He said it was only paint, but it looked a lot like the time I cut myself on a knife. He chased us and threw some smelly stuff at us. We fell asleep."

Green made up his mind about what he was going to do. A skill he had that allowed him entry in this squad. Green looked deeply into himself. Bill was openly bawling now, and the fear was infectious. The rest of the kids began to weep as well. The would be rescuers were trying in vain to cheer them up, but to no avail. Green was silent, for he was attempting to do something difficult and weakening. It was also a special talent that he'd rather not have showcased for all to see.

"Hey look at me!" If there was a lifesaver, then Lyra was it. She was always cheerful, even with a mournful atmosphere such as this one. As the kids turned their eyes to her, she took a mock step and fell to the ground with a humorous crash and arms flailing comically. She stood up and was about to take another step, but as she put her foot down, a banana peel appeared out of nowhere and made her slip. She crashed against the ground and from her Ipod in her pocket a comedic music was played. The effect was immediate. The tension lifted as the kids laughed at her. Her routine had been nowhere near as funny as the horror they had been through, but the expression of her face was priceless, and the sheer unexpectedness of t all caused everyone to laugh.

Green meanwhile, had found in himself the memory of the calmest moment in his life. Classical music seemed to pound in his mind, and a soothing image of himself and his grandfather was firmly in his mind. It was his strongest and most peaceful memory. Placing a hand on Bill's shoulders, he released what was his memory and strength. It poured out of him and left him weak, but he soon showed why he had been placed in a high risk squad like this. The room was filled with a subtle sense of calm, with none that could detect the origins. The room grew silent form the unconscious thought that gave strength to everybody.

Green coughed ruining the silence. It was a harsh and rare magic. He had only discovered the origins of it while pursuing an old tome years ago. It wasn't something that any of the humans had. The place and home Green was from only rarely gave a power like this one. He had only been able to harness the power a few years back. Right when he had stopped being an egotistical jerk striving for the attention of his grandfather. Right when he had learned to conceal his emotions and self so that they may never be used against him again. It wasn't something he wanted a human to learn off. Only a small fraction of the organization could use it, and he reckoned that he was standing among members of that few. This was an elite squad.

The room was silent. He could hear naught but the wild beating of his own heart. Then Green felt an even heavier wave of exhaustion. He struggled for a moment, before he fainted clean against the cold hard ground...

* * *

"Get him up!" He could hear shouting, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?" Crystal asked as she strained her arms to lift him back up to his feet. He his vision was blurry and his head felt like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer, but he was okay.

"What happened!" Bill asked. Green didn't expect the kids to know what just happened. He preferred that they forgot anything they even might have seen. It was better than having to explain magic to people again.

Red was worried. Green could tell by how he was clutching Green's shoulder. "'Green are you sure you should have done that? We're in trouble now if you're too tired to get out." Red looked as if he was contemplating about a hundred ideas a minute. "We could stay back here and rest, if you're too tired to go on."

"That might be a tiny problem."

Ruby stood by the door they'd entered from. "Listen!" Green focused on doing as he said. At first it seemed quite, but if you focused enough, then you could make out the barest trace of something...

Green's eyes snapped open in horror. Alarms. Alarms were sounding in the distance. " I think the cages were trapped," he said crouching near the metal cages. "See, a fine cage would normally be uniform throughout it, but see this one?" He pointed to an empty cage next to the wall. "At first it seems like nothing, but the pattern is completely different on the back. It's there to conceal something, and alarm to go off if anything went wrong, I'd suppose. There would be any other reason to have such an unsymmetrical cage here anyway."

Ruby was right. While Green could think off about six different reasons why a cage would be unsymmetrical, he could see in the empty cage that a small nondescript box was inside. Judging from the model and make, it was a high end technological alarm mad by S.H.I.E.L.D., a defense force that the humans had came up with to deal with a completely different terrorist group in another country. That would also fit the information they had been given. They had heard that a stash of tech made by S.H.I.E.L.D. had been stolen and taken here. Instead they found kidnapped children.

Red took charge then. "I'll lead, and Green will help deal with anyone we meet. You guys should focus on taking care if the kids." He improvised. Green unconsciously gripped the belt where his pokeballs were held. A sense of foreboding ailment filled him when he sensed the loss of a familiar weight. He only had three of his pokemon with him. An error on his part. He hazard a quick glance at Red and confirmed his suspicions. Red only had his three and the rest were equally unequipped. The lost pokemon were sitting at the daycare being used by his grandfather to train some newbies. Oak would pay for this later. He knew they were going on a dangerous mission. The only reason Green had let his grandfather take his was because it was supposed to be a quick mission. Get in and get out, and he thought the others would have brought their full teams.

There were words to be had with his grandfather, but only if they managed to get out of the situation alive. "Let's get moving." He said to the others. They nodded. Crystal tool hold of Bill's hand, while Ruby grabbed George. Lyra was left to juggle with the other two kids, but from her expression, she was relishing the problem. He might have helped out, but he would be needed to cover for Red if anything happened.

Red and his Pikachu started out through the tunnel. "Come on guys!" He said before disappearing through the hole. As Crystal led the others into the hall, Green took a moment to take a look around the room. Such a horrid place. Events of evil had taken place here, and it made Green sick. It only took a moment however, and Green wa soon hurtling through the tunnel.

He had Scizor, Charizard, and Nidoking with him, but he was still limited. If Charizard was knocked out, if any one of the squad's flying types were knocked out, then they'd be in trouble. They'd be trapped in the tower. Or worse, they'd have to rely on trickier magic. Something that the party would rather prefer that they not use. That treaty his grandfather and the rest of the council had signed back then stopped them. While a treaty of those ramifications was good, it just might end up getting them killed. He couldn't break the treaty. Even if he died doing so.

* * *

_They almost made it. In fact, Green thought that if they had left a minute or two beforehand, then they'd have made it. Of course they didn't though, which meant that they were in trouble now. Now he was separated and surrounded. That happened later however. What had happened prior to his bad situation however..._

* * *

Green burst through the hall and into the corridor They had managed a good time, despite the fact that they were now weighed down by the kids now held by Lyra, Crystal, and Ruby. Red had gone ahead, which didn't lend itself to curing Green's nerves. While he remained calm, it was disconcerting to be in the dark corridor without the light. They could have stopped, but Green had decided against it. Too much time would be lost looking for a flashlight or the like.

They reached the first room and Green immediately noticed Red, who was in the center and gasping for breath. He was bruised, but not overly so. His Pikachu was scuffing a scar and was laughing, or whatever was the equivalent, at the fainted pokemon next to it. They must have been in a fight, he deduced. There were more fainted men around the room then last he had left it.

Ruby blanched at the newly fallen guards. "What happened? You're so dirty." He motioned to the state that Red's clothes were in. Thy were ruffled up and beaten, as if he had been thrown into a tornado.

Red looked confused for a moment then notice the state he was in. He laughed, a lightning sound in the empty place. "I got a little side tracked." He looked to Crystal who had moved to a better position rather than cramming up the doorway. "We've got a small problem. They're moving in groups, and they seem to have gotten their hands on some weaponry.

_Weaponry?_ This interested Green. Most weapons were hard to find, even on the black market. There just wasn't that many guns anymore after a champion named Cynthia had declared them outlawed about a decade ago. "What kind?" He asked curiously.

Red looked solemnly into his eyes. "About one person in every squadron has a pistol. The bullets seem pretty big. I think they have a high caliber weapon supplier around here." That sounded bad. Not letting this new information affect him, he waited for the next inevitable question. He knew it was coming and he didn't enjoy the ramifications of the decision he had to make.

Green had thought it would come from Red, after all , of you looked closely you could see the scrapes and gouges against the walls and fainted men that came from Red's own weapon, but it surprisingly came from Crystal. "How are we going to do this! We're weak and defenseless without half our main teams, and we have kids to worry about." She fired off rapidly, "Are we using weapons? How far are we going?" She pushed.

Green wished they'd give him time to think. The problem was that they didn't have the authority to go all out. There was a strict lettering in the treaty they signed that prohibited them from doing so.

"Breaking the treaty entirely would be something that we could never do. Or would you like to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds?" Ruby said to Crystal deflecting the question away from Green for a bit. At least Ruby, even if he was annoying, was loyal.

Crystal was buying none of that, and Lyra took her sister's side. "We can't leave these kids to die. Surely they take precedence over what some old treaty says!" They were getting into a heated argument, firing off points this way and that, and all the while the alarms sounded in the building. Green wished he had a place to think! He couldn't even keep his facade up for much longer, much less make a decision.

Red might have helped him make the decision, but as Green went to look for encouragement, he saw Red start int the argument as well. "We need to cover for these guys! Not after what they went through!" He forcefully said.

That decided it. Red wasn't' thinking right. Crystal and Lyra were too busy looking at the kids to think of the ramifications of going full out and burning the tower down. Green had enough. "Stop it!" He said. His voice was barely raised, but it was enough to drive the room to silence. All were waiting for his verdict, even the small kids who were trembling and barely understanding why their new guardians were at each other's throats. He decided. "No powers, and no heavy magic. Only use what would be considered normal for a group of operatives. We won't want to attract _their _attention."

Perhaps it was because those were the most words he said aloud all day. Perhaps it was because he had dared mention about the ones they feared. Either way Green had fallen silent and watched as they put themselves down. It had been a risky move he had pulled. What _they _were was something not taken lightly. They were murders and scandals. Evil incarnate. It was enough to drive them to silence.

They stood around in an uneasy defeat. Perhaps, only a moment, they might have been regretting this mission. There would be trouble when they got back for their conduct and handling of it. If they got back at all. And Green was taking most of the blame, with these orders, which meant he'd even further fracture himself and his no good grandfather. It was getting hard to think. And in his heart, Green was afraid. He was afraid of making the wrong move, of a decision gone wrong and leading them to death. He was so busy wrestling with himself, that he nearly missed the yelling of another group of men come up the stairs and into the room...

* * *

They came out of nowhere. One minute Green was wrestling with a plan of action. The next minute, he was running for his life as he was chased by big hairy men screaming unintelligible babble. They might have been able to fight the men, but Red took no chances. "_We have to cover for the these kids!" _he said, "_They're more important to us now!"_

Well now they were running for their lives, and it was all his grandfather's fault. Somehow. Green would have to hash out the details later, but he was sure he could make a convincing argument that Oak's mistakes had opened them up for this tragedy.

They had burst out of the room they had been conferring in and had hightailed it to who knows where. Green had taken the rear in order to draw any enemy fire to him. The men in question chasing them where big men, but they were young and apt to go off in a minute. They had no discipline or formation, in fact they chased after the party in a spread and wild fashion. If Green was their superior officer, he'd have had them whipped at the stockades immediately. But they were all the more dangerous because of it, and that brought Green to the present.

Ruby, despite carrying a toddler, was farther up ahead of the group, but to Green's horror he started tearing his way back towards the rest of the party, as streaks of smoke appeared at the speed he was moving with the shoes his father had given them. "We got a problem!" He shouted!

"What's wrong?" Red asked Ruby as he made it into shouting was in his voice and Green sympathized with the worry. They were running out of room to run. The tower only went so far left or right.

Ruby didn't even pause as he slammed into Red which halted the forward movement of himself. Red pulled both of them up, and Ruby told him the news. "There's another group of men up ahead. They're not in sight now, but will be in about a minute." As if that didn't add to the group's horror, Ruby then added, "They seem to be an elite core or something. They're all carrying firearms, ranging from pistols to a heavy shotgun!"

Green inwardly swore. Caught between a hammer and an anvil. They were going to be killed if something didn't change soon. Red was still looking confident, but Green knew it was a front. You could tell it in his eyes. They darted every which way as Red tred to think of a plan of action. "What about windows or exits!" He said to the panicked boy.

Morale was breaking, and they were about to be slaughtered. Green's mind scrambled for anything that could be of use, but no option came.

Crystal unexpectedly gripped Green's shoulder fiercely. "There's a staircase across the rooms on the right! If we can make it to them, then we might be able to find a way to get out of here!"

Ruby broke their new found hope. "They're too close. We'll be caught before we can get out!" Green's mind started churning. They couldn't escape, and they couldn't bring the walls down, and they'd risk putting in danger the children if they stood and fought. There was only one thing that could help them, and Red was not going to like it.

Aware of the passing time, Green realized they only had a few seconds to plan. "I'll distract them. You guys go."

Red shot away the plan in an instant. "Go alone? Are you insane? We have to stay together!"

"And that's what gets us killed!" Green slammed his fist into the wall, creating an impression of a clenched fist against it.

It was terrible. For a moment, Green let his emotions get the better of him. Emotions were evil. It was what led to sin and darkness. But it had to be done. There was no other way to get their attention, "Red will stay, because he'll protect the children. The rest are carrying the kids, so there is no help from them. Go!"

His word made sense. They knew that. But even when Crystal shakily took command of the small group, leading them across the halls to a series of rooms out of sight, Red still stayed to gaze into Green's eyes. "You don't have to do this you know" a light mist was covering his eyes.

"I have too" The two friends, brothers in arms, and surrogate family members looked at eachother for a second more, before the shouting came close by, the source of their grief. Without a backwards look, Red left.

For Green, he couldn't shake the feeling of remorse. Could he really abandon the rest of his charges in a time of need? But they needed too. He'd have to play the role of a sacrificial hero. Even if it meant being killed alone.

* * *

For Red, there was that illogical feeling. No sense no reason, just a feeling. But Red's intuition was usually right. And he knew, he wouldn't be seeing Green for a long time. But he had a duty, He had a feeling to hide and submerge, and he had a charge to protect. His brother in all but blood would have to wait. He had to go with the rest of his squad. He had to protect the rest of his family. And he left his best friend behind, even knowing as he did so, he wouldn't see him again.

He hated his instincts and intuitions. They were usually right...

* * *

Green had been left behind, but he wasn't planning to die just yet. He had a duty. He had a job he'd give his life for. But that was what he may end up doing if he stood still for much longer. They had been pushing it, waiting for the pursuers to get too close, but it was something that had to be done. The dogs of the hunt had to have a rabbit to hunt, and Green planned to be the rabbit that got away. He just needed to lead them off. Then he could do his best to take care of them. Even if it killed him.

As the sound of his doom got closer, Green reviewed what could be called his last stand. His best bet of survival and optimum distraction was to lead them to the opposite side of the building. He'd have to shake them loose and decoy them long enough for the rest of the group to escape, then he could do his best to get out of there.

He was ready. But to survive or not was entirely up to chance. He'd just have to do his best to give the rest a better chance.

The group that had started to chase them rushed near. Form an opposite direction, Green could tell the the group Ruby had mentioned was also near. He stayed just long enough for the two groups to converge into sight, before he bolted off to the left. He studied the blueprints. He'd lead them off in the opposite direction and find a set of stairs and fall back to get around to them.

It had to work.

* * *

The man 'leading the first half of the eratic charge didn't have the brains to question why there was only one of the ones they'd been chasing. Especially since he had been purposely been waiting for them, judging from how he had glared intensely down the halls. He knew only one thing, and it was to kill. "Get him!' He hollard and directed his followers down to the halls where Green had gone.

The second man, a certain man named Slade, leading the far more experienced and elite squad, was slightly smarter than that. "The kid went through one of the side passages across the building. We can catch the boy if we use the main passage." Slade ordered and turned his disciplined unit of men the opposite of direction.

The side passages through the building were cluttered with desks and obstacles. Having the building serve as a front for a delivery compartment meant that a lot of space was devoted to paperwork. Otis didn't like seeing desks in his way whenever he moved his fat bulky self off his makeshift throne on the center floor. He'd cluttered them in side room passages which made it difficult to navigate, and designated two halls going either direction as the main passageways.

Slade hated Otis and his laziness, but his boss and his lazy habits helped him out in this situation. He led his men through the main path in a far faster time than what the boy would be able to manage. With any luck, he'd' cut off him and the girl they were chasing earlier as well. They'd both be caught in a pincer trap, and he'd have secured a promotion recovering the papers that the thieves had stolen. If he found the hostages along with the papers, he'd get a massive bonus. Imagine catching not only a pair of thieves, but some operatives that took their hostages! He only needed time. Time and a gun at his back. It was only fun if he made him beg after all...

* * *

Run, run, and duck under the desk and try to retain your footing. Those were the only thoughts that raced through Green's head as he struggled to make his way the the small cramped side corridor. The mission of doing so was much more difficult than he expected. He had studied the blueprints, and had the word of information gathers that had gone through the public floors, but Green found himself in a situation which he had hardly been able to predict.

It was cramped in the corridor. Large desks were scattered periodically in the room, shoved in hastily and out of order as if the people had anything that they wanted to do other than this. Often they obscured the direct path out of the rooms or even the entrances to others all together. His plan had been to make it quickly through the rooms while leading the enemy astray, but he was forced to change his plan. It was too cramped and messy to move around quickly. He'd had to sprint as fast as possible to gain ground on the men chasing Green. He needed the time to navigate through each room, and still the men behind him were usually able to catch a few glimpses at him before he disappeared down the hall. The only good thing was that they had to make their way through as well.

What Green couldn't have known for his research was that the rooms had been sloppily done. Jobs often like this one, which involved heavy labor, were often left for the men who upset their squad leaders or Otis himself. Unfortunately, often the ones who insulted their leaders were the ones who were lazy, stupid, and heavily drunk at the time. That led to the chaos that none of the better men could try to deal with until later.

Making his way through however, was proving difficult. He'd had to release one of his Pokemon, Scizor, from his pokeball to demolish the obstructions in the rooms. Luckily Scizor's attitude conveyed what majorly happened in these cases. "_This is it? I'll get rid of these things in ten seconds!" _Scizor boasted to himself as he went about his business of tearing obstructions brutally apart.

Scizor was able to eliminate the obstructions quickly, but it still took time. Especially crippling time, due to the fact that his murderers were able to fire at Green and the armored bug as they tried to escape. They didn't have to deal with trying to get past the removed obstructions. Green needed a plan. Something needed to change or they'd catch him soon. Green didn't fancy himself facing a good twenty so men in battle. Green needed to slow them down long enough for him to escape. But no plan was coming.

Rushing into another room, he found it suspiciously empty. He could sense that the men pursuing him were close. It was only a matter of time until they caught him. For one brief moment, a dangerous idea filled his mind. He could try to fight them. If he ambushed them with all three of his pokemon, then they were bound to take casualties. But there was twenty men. He couldn't fight against that. Unsure of himself, something he despised, he hesitantly asked. "Should we do it Scizor?"

Scizor response was neither yes or no. "_We make a barricade! This room is cleaner, but I'm sure we can find some materials in the other rooms. In fact, you could have Nidoking make an ice barrier! That should take them a few minutes to get out of."_

It was impossible to speak with Pokemon, or at least impossible for anyone around these days. The last documented case of speaking, was a man named N long ago. He was the last known being to be able to speak, human or whatever Green as or not.

But to be a trainer was not something to be mocked at. The very best trainer was able to understand what his partners could say perfectly. The last mortal world champion had been able to fluently speak with any pokemon. While Green was, as he hated to admit, not on that level, he was able to understand a bit. The same way that Red was often able to understand most of his Pokemon in times of trouble, the same was true with Green. And Scizor was his very first Pokemon, and his closest pokemon to him.

That and Scizor was gesturing to the doorway into the room with his claws in a smashing motion. He was starting to smash the desks in another room and dragging them to the door.

"Good idea." Green rarely praised, but he would whenever one of his friends were instrumental in escape or an idea that he'd never thought off. It took time. Far too much for Green's liking. But it was close. A good three feet of heavy barricade was in the way of any chaser. He just needed time to have Nidoking freeze it. With an ice beam, Green's ground type would be able to get a good amount of solid ice in the way of everyone.

Green's heart began to beat wildly, he forced down the sense of fear as one of the men was actually able to get close to him, a well muscled man with a pistol. The leader most likely. They were so close. So close to being done.

But it was not to be. "Got ya now thief!" The man yelled. Others in the squad were visible working their way through the desks three rooms down barely in sight. The lead man aimed at Green through a hole in his barricade. Green's breath left him at once in unitentional fear as the man pulled the felt faint as a spark forced itslef against the gun and a massive BANG was heard.

* * *

It was a curious sense being fired upon as the bullet quickly whizzed straight at him. He couldn't react to move out of the way. He was going to die. Right there, right in front of the escape he needed to get out. The bullet hurtled through. It struck against the enemy solidly. Directly where the heart should have been, the man had not aimed wrong.

BAM!

* * *

Elsewhere, Red felt an unexpected toll on his self. He actually fell against the wide stairs and crashed on the steps.

"_Red what the bloody distortion world happened!'_ Pika cried out as his trainer fell. Cries of fear let out from ahead of Red. Lyra pulled Red up, and Red stood on shaking legs with wildly beating heart.

Red held no answer. He was struggling to breathe, as of something terrible had happened. He didn't know what, and would have stayed there swaying to the side back and forth on shaking feet, if no one had intervened.

Luckily, Pika wasn't averse to brutally injuring anyone. "_I asked you a question!"_ He roared before discharging lightning across the room. It wasn't the highest voltage he could achieve, but it was enough to make Red cry out and come to attentiveness as well as knock everyone else in the room to the ground.

Red picked himself up as Ruby glared daggers at Pika. "You do realize that none of us are meant for large blasts of lightning!"

Pika shrugged his shoulders insultingly. "_I want to be answered when my idiot trainer immediately falls to the ground for no reason!"_

Red shook of blurriness, which had come for the shock. "It was just a bad feeling. We need to go!"

"It must have been some intense feeling" Ruby asked in part annoyance and part morbid interest.

Red replied grimly, gazing intensly ahead of himself on the steep stairs that led to the highest floor of the building. "It was. Something's gone wrong. Something terrible."

Red's intuition was never wrong...

* * *

CLANG!

If this was death, it certainly didn't feel like it. In fact, if not for the sudden feeling of uneasiness, and lack of strength, he felt fine. Not hurt at all. The man who fired at him was looking equally confused. Why wasn't he a puddle on the floor? Then he was able to look in front of himself.

"_Ha! Metal type fool, ya fools!" _Scizor laughed as he posed in an annoying fashion with claw extended outward and over his head. Following the path of the claw, Green's eyes scanned the roof until he noticed the bullet, stuck in the wall after being deflected by Scizor's claws. And the best part was the other man's pistol was one shot. An older model which explained why he wasn't shooting again.

As it was, he was stamping around in frustration. Green wasted no time with unclipping one of his pokeballs. "Freeze the entrance Nidoking!" He roared at the near death that had taken him. The wouldbe gangster had bigger problems to worry about, as a massive creature emerged from the pokeball.

Compete with jagged spikes and razor teeth, the former bull catch of the safari zone and deadly monstrosity, Nidoking's teeth went up in a toothy killer smile. "_BOOM sucker_!" A cold draft drifted from the monster as it smiled. The size of the monster was the last thing the gangster saw, at least for the next week or so, as ice covered the next two rooms in a solid sheet, aided by the busted water pipe leaking water throughout the room.

Green stood up, while gasping for breath. "Remind me again why didn't lead with him?" He asked Scizor who was watching the display in grudging awe.

"_I believe it was because the guy is very messy. He'd probably as soon as crush the rest of us then aid us._" Scizor's unintelligible statement was proven as Nidoking quickly turned on his side towards Green. His horn scraped against the roof gorging it deeply.

Such a monstrosity wasn't meant for indoors. Green returned him to his pokeball. "That should hold them for a few minutes" Green said looking at the destruction. Through the crystal clear ice, he could see the other side where pokemon were being released from their trainers pokeballs. Okay so significantly less time than what he expected.

Scizor gestured awkwardly to the door. Green didn't need a degree to figure out what he was trying to say. He rushed through the door feeling significantly lucky. Perhaps he'd make it out after all.

Of all things. It was certainly the one he should not have thought of.

As he into another mercifully clear room, Green was distracted by the sound of fire lighting from behind him. Scizor fell behind, and Green looked behind his shoulders as he ran to keep an eye on his chasers. As he was distracted, he didn't notice as h came into a much bigger circular room, about fifty feet wide with a doorway leading to the main hall.

More importantly he didn't realize that someone else was in this room as he came barreling through straight in at top speed.

The dark clothed person was also running distractedly at high speeds. Crashing into each other

did let Green realize though...

SLAM!

With breath cut out and his vision blurring, he stumbled back and barely managed to stay on his feet. As such, he was a moment too slow to realize that the dark figure stay on his feet and grab a knife from a sheath on his leg. He drew it, and Green wasn't able to recover as the stranger leaped at him, knife aimed directly for the throat.

Red was right. His intuition _was_ never wrong...


	4. Pawned and Wronged

**Pawned and Wronged**

Green acted out of instinct in an attempt to save himself the nasty side effect of being skewered. The dark stranger slashed out with his knife, and Green attempted to dodge. As fast as he was, the stranger was faster, and was rewarded with a shallow cut across Green's side.

Green winced with pain, but he managed to stay on his feet and sidestepped. That gave him enough room as the man brought up the knife in a forward strike directly where he had been. This person was fast. Far faster than what a normal person should have been. He hadn't even been able to get a good look at his attacker, because his vision was still blurred. He was fighting half blind against a well experienced opponent.

The attacker smiled, and Green noticed through blurred eyes the small but well built figure of his assaulter. "Well, you're certainly not like the other men. They normally don't last long after being poisoned."

Poisoned. Unconsciously, Green glanced at his side. The cut he had gained was turning a nasty shade of green, no pun intended. What had his attacker said, most men didn't last this long? It must have been incredibly potent. Only a few seconds had passed.

The man noticed his glance. "Realizing what you did wrong? I wouldn't blame you if you surrender. That would make stabbing you so much-" The man giggled. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell how I'd kill you!" Green was aware of his fading chance of living. He had to finish this quickly...

A contrast to his earlier struggles, Green moved much faster than what he had before. The attacker wasn't fully expecting it, and so was caught off guard as Green struck out against his stomach. He landed a solid blow and knocked his foe backwards, but he wasn't done yet, recovering faster than Green expected. As Green went to follow up on his blow, the man rolled to the side and lashed out with his foot. Green fell to the ground, as the man stood up. Through blurry eyes, Green could see him dusting off a speck of dust from his black outfit which was still too blurry to see any details.

The man let out a laugh, higher pitched and more carefree than what Green might have anticipated. "Well that certainly was a nice brawl. You landed more hits on me than anyone else! But like all good times, the fun must-"

The man let out a shriek, as he flew backwards and crumpling against the wall. Scizor let out a fierce guttural cry and scraped his claws against one another to sharpen them. "_I leave for one second, and you're already having your butt kicked by a girl! Can't' you do anything without me?"_

Green tried in vain to pick himself up, but he fell to the ground. Scizor offered one of his red claws, and Green propped himself up on it. He was getting weaker by the second. The poison was sapping his strength, but at least his blurry vision was subsiding. Green came to the realization of his error. What he had assumed was a man, due to the ratio of male grunts he had seen so far, was in fact none other than a girl.

She was actually might have been considered beautiful, if not for the fact that she had tried to kill him, or that Green was an emotionless husk. She had brown hair kept relatively short and hanging down by her neck. She had on a black skirt with multiple pokeballs attached to the hem, which had led to Green mistaking her for a black wearing elite member. On her neck was a scarf which would probably end up getting her strangled in a fight.

Her eyelashes were long he noticed, as he finished the process of figuring out y the fact that she was faking unconsciousness. "I can see you're faking girl." he replied short and irritated. His side was swelling, and he was beginning to lose the strength he needed to stand.

To stop from collapsing, he grabbed his bag, which had been thrown aside during the struggle. He couldn't' identify the poison. It was either very rare and dangerous, or it was self made and very dangerous. Either way it was bad. Green found a syringe in his backpack with the tip covered by a plastic cap. A toxic sign was on the label with an explicit warning not to apply to a human's injuries. Ignoring that, he plugged it straight into one of his veins.

The antidote was usually reserved for Pokemon. However, it still affected humans and Green felt the effects of the poison slightly subside. A voice from behind him made him inwardly shudder. "You know, injecting yourself with medicine for Pokemon causes cancer Greenie!"

Green whirled around. He trusted Scizor to keep an eye on her as he tried to cure himself. Unluckily, that didn't work. She had picked herself up off the wall, probably after Green had detected her sham of falling unconscious. She now was sporting a pokeball in her hands, tossing it up and catching it on the way down. More concerning however, was her knowledge of his name. "How did you know that?" He stumbled.

The girl tossed the pokeball up and raised her hands stretched out across her head. A somewhat sign of peace. "I don't know Green. Maybe I'm a psychic!" The girl snatched the pokeball out of the air and threw it directly at him. Green flinched as Scizor moved into action cutting the ball in half. It fell to the ground, a perfectly cut halve with nothing inside it. The ball was a ploy. Green snapped his attention back to the girl, but she had disappeared.

Unexpectedly, Green felt an unusual presence behind him. His hairs stood on end as the girl breathed down his neck. "You know that antidote won't hold off that poison forever. You'll need a stronger one, the real antidote." Green snapped around and tried to dislodge the girl, but she flipped backwards, a perfect backwards jump landing on her feet.

The girl giggled. "Too slow." She threw down an orb to the ground, and it burst, filling the room with smoke. Coughing, Green stumbled backwards as nearby Scizor was flailing around in order to try to hit the girl. Not good. She was breaking discipline and enunervign his pokemon. This wasn't exactly a situation Green had encountered before.

Green stumbled backwards and regretted it, as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You know what? You've lasted the longest against me! I find that _fascinating_" She whispered suggestively into Green's ear.

Green rolled forward and back into the center of the room. The smoke was messing with him too much. He had to trust in his mind. Warily, he closed his eyes and let himself focus on sensing everything in the room.

The girl laughed again, "Oh, now you're trying to rely on nothing but your ears! That's funny!" Green sensed something moving in the darkness. He was too late to do anything about it, and was struck at his side with a sharp pain. The girl had gotten out her dagger once more.

Green stood still, still trying to focus his energy on listening. That wasn't helped by the girl and her disappearing laughter. "You know. This is actually fun. I have the antidote here, maybe if you act like a good boy and help me get away from your boss, I might reward you!"

There! Green was able to sense it just barely. The girl was approaching him rapidly, aiming for perhaps another non lethal scratch. That was her weakness. She was too busy treating this like a game. Green's mouth tightened. Well he wasn't playing this game anymore.

The girl approached him, somehow able to sense him in the smoke. She aimed for another cut, but Green was ready. She landed near Green, and as she did he grabbed her arm. Using her momentum against her Green flipped her against the ground sliding her for a few feet in the other direction. "Think this is a game! Well I've got news for you!" He released the button on his pokeball and threw it out into the room.

A bright flash emerged from the center of the room, and for the first time Charizard burst into action into the tower. "_About time you used me!" _He roared. With one flap of his massive wings, Charizard blew all the smoke in the room out. Slamming his foot against the ground, he created a small shockwave that slammed against the ground, and all still standing in the room fell to the ground. With a roar, Charizard smiled with his teeth bared directly at the now slightly panicked girl. For the first time, her attitude of lightheartedness was replaced with a seriousness. Good, she was respecting him now.

Charizard laughed, a sort of puffing short motion that made wafts of smoke come out of his snout. "_Look! One second in, and I've already solved all of your problems!"_

Scizor picked himself off the ground, very annoyed, "_I had her! I just needed some time to finish her you scaly lizard!" _He said. He glared daggers to the puffing Charizard. Green sighed out loud. They had been at odds with one another for a long time, each outdoing the other in a show of stupidity and massive explosives.

They would have gotten into a massive heated argument if the girl hadn't stepped off from the ground, with her attitude back to it's former place. "Now this is just getting more and more interesting every second! I didn't know any of Otis's stooges had gotten his hand on such a rare and magnificent Charizard!

As Charizard preened, Green's thoughts began to race. One of Otis's stooges? She was the one that was working for the criminal! Why else would she be here? He cast a cautionary glance to Scizor.

What might have happened next would have been bloody and violent. The girl would have started relying in her Pokemon, and it would have have gotten really messy really fast. Unluckily, something happened that was even worse for the poor boy known as Green Oak.

"Well, Well, Well." A voice carried out from a not too far distance away. Green's head snapped forward. In the doorway was a man, wearing the black outfit fo an elite grunt. Hs black hair was spiked up at an angle, and at his side was a well made shotgun with the insignia of S.H.I.E.L.D. on it. It looked like the man could use it too. Behind him was ten or so well trained looking men. They all stood in a disciplined formation, each with a pokeball at the ready. Weapons were at their sides.

Scizor moved to stand near Green, interposing himself between the two in case any men had twitchy fingers. The girl's smirk had lost some of its strength, as she backed up from the party. Even Charizard was looking nervous, and it was well known the kind of attitude he had.

The leader smirked. He sensed his fear, and he seemed to relish in it. Green immediately hated himself and emotions. The leader's black jacket had numerous silver buckles highlighting it and multiple pockets. It was a curiosity in itself, because the materiel Green noticed was made of something similar to kevlar but somehow better.

The man noticed his scanning eye and smiled, a harsh and cruel way. "Like it? I wanted a bulletproof fashion sense, not that my ego doesn't do that already." He smiled at his joke, but his eyes never left Green's. "The name is Slade and I believe you thieves have something that belongs to me." Green's eyes narrowed. Slade looked dangerous. Worse was that he wasn't in any files Green had. He'd have to be good to stay out of his Grandfather's cataloging. They had the best above the world.

He was convinced that the rescued hostages were what Slade was referring to, but Green was thrown into a loop what he said next, "I know you thieves have those documents from Otis's study. Hand them over!"

Green glanced around in confusion at the statement. A note of suspicion fell over him. His eyes landed on the girl who was backing up slowly, near him.

"Look Slade, Surely we can make a deal? I have one of your henchmen, surely we can do a trade." The girl lashed out,, and before Green knew what was happening, he felt her cold metal knife at his throat. Behind him the girl whispered, "Play along Greenie and we'll both survive. Probably."

Slade took one look at what would have been the odd position between them, with Blue directly behind him with a knife against the slightly taller Green's throat, while surrounded by the murderous glare was giving her. The only noise in the room was Scizor sharpening his claws and thinking of ways to disembowel the girl. It was a ridiculous situation.

"Threatening your boyfriend won't do anything girlie! In fact, it might make killing you easier!" Slade's eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, Green was trying to prevent himself from gagging. Boyfriend? Of the monstrosity? The annoying, aggravating, pesky girl? He would have made his indignance known if not for the knife at the throat.

The girl raised her eyebrow in confusion, " You mean this guy's not one of your stooges?" She asked in confusion, and temporarily letting her grip on the knife slip.

Now Slade wasn't a fool. He could tell when people were hiding something or acting oddly. "Sergeant!" He snapped at a man beside him. "What did the message say about the two thieves?"

The sergeant was a pale faced man who nervously pulled out a fax "It says a girl with brown hair, black dress and a funny red scarf, and an-" He gulped nervously. "an angry red haired kid."

Slade scowled at the man and returned his attention to the now confused Green. "Judging from the report and your confusion, you didn't know this." He speculated keeping his eye on the pair the entire time. "The room looks damaged and the boy is scared a few times from a dagger that looks awfully like your own. Now we can logically assume since partners wouldn't normally try to kill another until they get out of the building,nyou didn't' know the other kid. Now this is just a guess," He stopped for dramatic effect, "But you must have been separated from your boyfriend at some point-"

"Brother actually," The girl quickly said. Green tried to shoot an angry look at her.

Slade waved her on. "You were separated from your brother," He corrected, "And you ran into each other and promptly tried to kill the other."

"Sounds about right," The girl said. "In fact, this clears a good few things up."

Slade grimaced "Now judging from the fact that you were separate parties, it can easily be presumed that the boy here was part of the group rescuing our hostages in that stupid secret room. You must be running decoy so that out entre lot would run off chasing you while the others escape."

Green scowled. The man was good. Too good. Why didn't he kill them already?

Slade answered that question. "You might be wondering why I haven't finished you off yet. Since I heard about you taking on the entire squad in the room to the hostages, I wanted some reinforcements before taking you on." As Slade finished his monologue, Green's heart nearly died of horror. Certain events began to click together.

From the corner of his eye, he could see into the other room where the squad that had been chasing him. The ice was melted and they were waiting by the room, all but the frozen leader watching eagerly. Before his stunned eyes, Green watched as the room filled with the second squad of men circling around him and the girl.

Slade was good. It would be nice to get him to play chess with him. That is, if Green didn't die right off.

The knife clutched at Green's throat lessened, allowing Green some room to breathe. "It seems that we're in a bit f a predicament Greenie," The girl said turning to keep her eye on the new threats.

"Tell me about it pesky girl." Green hesitated, "And don't call me that!"

The girl looked ked at him in amusement. Green inwardly cursed himself. He actually had engaged in dialogue with her. She took the knife from his throat with a smile that scared him more than the guns at the sides of Slade's squad. "As we have a mutual enemy Greenie, I believe it would be in our best interests to work together for a spell."

Green took exactly three seconds to contemplate the offer. He wasn't a fool. "You're on girl, but you better have some other Pokemon on you than what you have now."

"I don't know what your talking about, but it isn't going to work. Kill them! " Slade waved.

The men to the back of them surged forward. The armed men to the front of them aimed. Charizard built up a blast within himself, as Scizor readied to fling into action. But Green's eyes were on the girl.

"Don't doubt it sweetheart." Green flinched.

The gil took up two pokeballs from her belt and threw them. "And if we're working together, then you should know the name is Blue!" The two pokeballs opened, revealing a big blue creature, nearly the size of Green's Nidoking. Apt considering it was a Nidoqueen. Beside it, a rare Blastoise broke loose with a cheeky smile. Then the first wave of men hit.

Green had one last hope before all thoughts left him. He hoped the others were doing better than , Green was engulfed in the chaos.

To put a long story short, They were not.

It had been going well. In fact, it was only seconds before they reached the windows. Red could see them now, standing temptingly on the other side of the room, just waiting to be broken and release them from this nightmare.

So close, but it could be miles fro all Red cared. There was no chance of him getting to them without injury. It rankled him. Especially now that they had to have a boss battle of all things.

The stairs had let out. They'd reached the appropriate floor and were ready to blow the joint. They had gone down the only hallway and had with joy seen the windows there, but now they were in deep trouble. In front of them, in all his obese glory was Otis himself.

"_How did he find us!" _Pika cursed. He flared his cheeks with static shock, but at the sides of Otis, the Houndoom and the Mightyena didn't so much as flinch.

Otis' thin beady eyes scanned them, slowly, They lingered on the kids that Ruby and the rest were holding. As Otis glared at him, Red glared right back. He wouldn't give this man the satisfaction of knowing he caused him fear.

Unexpectedly, Otis laughed, a deep booming sound that caused the fat folds of flesh on his dark suit to fold and his multiple chins to wobble. "You're it?" He asked in mild astonishment.

Red's fists clenched. "Hey! We're better than what we might look like!" He said. He wouldn't let scum like him push them around!

"Yeah! I've spent hours on this look!" Rby said in indignance. Red shot him a look. Sometimes Ruby could be very annoying.

Otis laughed once again, annoying them. "Oh it's not you my friends. It's simply- the hype-shall we call it?

Crystal gave him a look. "The hype?" She said confused and slightly in doubt of his sanity. Red was right along with her.

Otis took it on with full stride. "Oh yes. I admit. I had high hopes when one of my officers told me that a group of fierce warriors had ransacked the prisoners!" He laughed and Red caught a flash of inside Otis's suit, which held a full belt of pokeballs. "The man must have failed to go mention that the group in question just happened to be full of teenagers. Right Dougal?"

From out of sight, a man stepped out of the shadows. "My- my apologies sir- you wouldn't believe me if I said they were kids!" His voice raised in fear. Red gulped. He hadn't seen him. In fact, he couldn't see anything past Otis. If one person was there unseen, how many could be there as well?

Otis laughed once more, but menacingly and fear inducing this time. "Of course my dear friend." Dougal looked up in renewal of hope. "However" Dougal's expression fell. "We can't have a lack of information coming in can we? After all that would cause the entire organization to fall wouldn't it? Which means that you'll be leading this assault."

During this monologue. the group had moved in closer to Red. "What do we do" Red whispered keeping an eye on Otis,. He didn't particularly like the mention of "this assault".

Crystal always had a plan. "Quickly. Otis would expect us to listen to his monologue. We've seen men like him before right?" Red nodded. Villains liked to monologue. Even the best ones usually would pop in a few words before shooting. "We hit him in mid sentence. I have Monlee and Xatee, Lyra has Amphy, and Ruby has Zuzu and Nana. We can outhit him before he can get us.

Red frowned. It was a good strategy, but the pokemon they had left worried him. Mostly two each per person, while Red had three and Lyra only had one? When Oak asked him to borrow his Pokemon, he expected to get them back before the mission, or at the very least have the others at full strength. It was weird.

Red was about to go for this strategy anyway, but Lyra shot him down. "We can't!" At their looks of confusion, she elaborated. "Don't you know standard tropes in life! If we attack something in a monologue, bad things will happen!"

Red felt the need to facepalm. Lyra made no sense when she was caffeinated, even if she was more alerted in battle. "Pika now! Red whispered. Pika nodded and leaped towards Otis while shrouding himself in electricity around him. "_Volt tackle" _Pika shouted as he charged. Otis whirled around to diagnose this new threat, while his hand dropped too late to his pokeballs to block him. but to the astonishment of all , Lyra hurled her bag at Pika, hard enough to knock him aside.

"_Oww!" _Pika complained, but immediately stopped as he saw Lyra's bag seemingly go straight through the walls. "_Uhhh what?" _

Otis had a strange sort of smirk which stayed on his face for a second before he broke it, laughing at Lyra. "There's a clever girl. She saw straight through out high tech image projector!"

"You're what?" Crystal asked.

Otis looked at her. "Oh you might be curious about this. Let me drop it for you! He rummaged in his jacket and pulled out a remote. He pressed it, and to Red's surprised the walls to the side of him and in front of him dropped revealing a pair of squadrons consisting of Pokemon and men all looking at them in confusion. .A high tech machine was in a corner, a strange one with a barrel like a bazooka mounted on a bipedal stand. Wires came out all around and it constant flashed with light.

Otis laughed "You see we were test running a certain weapon in here. We manage to hear about your accent on the stairwells and moved it into this room!"

Crystal was ready to bury the smugness on his face, Red could tell. She glanced at Red. "_Follow my lead"_ She mouthed to Red and the group. "Why would you have a device like that?" She asked Otis. Red managed to hide his grin. He knew where this was going.

"Because it's evil" Lyra shouted attraction looks from about half the room. Otis looked at her in confusion for a moment before he shrugged and returned his attention to Crystal.

"A weapon that changes scenery in a field of battle could be very useful. We received the commission for documents that we stole from S.H.I.E.L.D." Otis said. There was the slightest trace of pride in his voice at his achievement. It wasn't exactly easy stealing form an anti-terrorist organization. That is if they did their jobs and actually got rid of thugs like Otis…

"I don't know. It seems kind of big and clunky." Ruby said and walked towards the device and creating confusion for a few too stunned to react men. "Have you tested it's structural endurance?"

"Uhhh" Otis mumbled, but before he was able to mutter a comeback, he was interrupted.

"Yeah!" Crystal said. She had Bill hide behind Red as she walked closer to Otis. "It seems that it's very fragile. I mean Pokemon that can cause explosions aren't exactly that uncommon. There must be at least five in this room alone."

"I can assure you that this device is tough-"

"But is it tough enough villain!" Lyra said from behind Otis. Red stopped himself from flinching at Lyra's sudden movement. "The powers of justice can produce a strength beyond what is able to be protected by a sordid villain such as yourself!" She peered into his eyes. "Do you have insurance?"

Red glanced towards Bill and the rest. "You might want to cover." Bill nodded and started to have his brothers move to the corner. He had to do something before he went on with the plan. Opening up the pokeball at his belt, Aero appear unnoticed with his friends ploy of distraction Otis. "Aero, get them out as secretly as you can!" Red whispered as his dinosaur went to the wall and began to bust open the window.

Hopefully Aero would get them out before the fighting Otis's back turned to Lyra the teleporting girl, Red approached the largest group of Otis's men near the window. "I mean, it would be incredibly easy to- NOW EVERYONE!"

Blasts filled the room as the now tactically placed group of heroes attacked mid sentence. Unexpecting the action, It allowed them to release their Pokemon they had on them to combat them.

Red released his Snorlax who then decided that using his body as a hammer was a good idea. He slammed against the biggest pile of men in the room, obscuring their cries of horror and pain in the fat folds of his flesh,. They'd live, in a bit of pain of course, but that as what was needed to escape.

Otis spun around to deal with the creature, but before he could grab a pokeball he was slammed by what appeared to be a yellow blur. "_Hi! My name is Amphy! Let's play!"_ Lyra's Amphrados slammed into Otis with a volt crash sending him hurtling back. Lyra laughed as she spun and disarmed a man creeping up on her.

The opponents having time to react began to fight back, using mostly fighting and poison types, but with a few fire types mixed in, One group of savvy men more used to fighting defenceless villagers turned their attention to Bill and the children left behind, while Aero flew the rest out. They were wisely clutching the floor in a corner of the room. They approached them with the idea to use them as hostages.

"Come here kiddies!" One of the man said approaching Bill. Now Bill had been inspired by the bravery of his rescuers. So, instead of cowering, He spit directly on the man. With rage he lifted up his atm to bash it against the kid. Then he found it stuck frozen midair.

A clenched hand held it in place. Crystal glared at him with all the intensity of a hurricane and the ferocity of a volcano."You might want to rethink that." A flash of light flared into his eyes blinding him, and when he was distracted Crystal slammed him into the wall with all the bforce she could muster. Which was unfortunately for him quite a lot. "Xatee, Monlee now!"

The men frozen in fear found themselves unable to move for entirely different reasons. Xatee's eyes shone gold with power using physic to hold her opponents in place. They didn't notice who Monlee was until too late. Monlee was a Hitmonchan and blazed through the group slamming into them at high speeds . In seconds they were incapacitated. Crystal checked on the children one last time. "Stay in the corner and hide okay! Don't go out in the fight, I'll keep the fighting away from here."

Bill nodded. "There's no need to ask twice Ms. Crystal." With a feeling of warmth in her chest and the fighting ahead of her, Crystal nodded. She returned back to the main fighting which had moved to the main room.

By now, their opponents had gotten better heads. Most began to release what they had on them, blowing holes into the rather big room that was the room with the windows. It began to get clogged and Lyra found herself separated from the group. To the side of her, Amphy cried out in pain as a Weezing self-destructed right in her face. Amphy was a tank, but even she had limits.

A man who had been rather lucky in having stolen from the safari zone released a Tauros. The bull began to charge the injured Amphy. This was not going to end well, though Lyra would not let herself admit it.

"Waterfall!" Just in time, a blast of water cascaded towards the bull, and a bulky pokemon rid it straight at the bull knocking it back. Ruby reluctantly slid under the swing of a Machoke and closed with Lyra. "Nice job Zuzu, that move was both tough and beautifully rendered!" He called to his Swampert whose webbed antennas flashed with the encouragement.

Beside him a dog with black fur latched onto the Machoke and started biting it. "Do spit that out Nana! I belive that thing is extremely dirty!" The Mightyena known as Nana spit it out and landed on the ground. The Machoke fell to the ground and clutching it's bleeding arm.

Ruby offered a hyper potion to Lyra who gratefully accepted it. "This is chaos!" She said as she ducked the fainted body of a Graveler as it flew off, hit by one of Monlee's blows. She healed Amphy, who grinned in thanks, "Is it sad that I'm enjoying this?"

Ruby sighed. "I'm sure it's fine for you. But I had to get my outfit dirty sliding in! I just hope Red will stay okay. I was watching his back!

Crystal waded her way to him. "I'm sure he'll be fine! He's got Green's act to show up!"

Crystal;w words gave heart to Ruby and Lyra, but they were of no substance. Crystal knew that Red was in trouble. Green was usually watching his back, but with him gone, who was there to cover for him? She just had to hope he was fine. He was Red, both him and Green were veterans of the squad! What could go wrong?

As it turned out, everything...

From the very foundations, the tower seemed to shake from the battle. It made sense after all . Snorlax wasn't exactly a Pokemon for indoors. That was proven as he crashed through the floorboards and down to the ground taking a good amount of men with him. Red peered down the hole Lax had made and flinched . Ir went down a good few floors. He hoped Green wasn't on those…

Returning Lax to his Pokeball and resolving to not use him again, he was forced to rely on Pika. Blasts of elemental energy churned through the air. In the chaos, Red could barely see, which was the nature of battle. There was no thinking, there was only the mindless fighting and the unbearable heat that came in.

Buildings were tough. This was a world of Pokemon that blew up things in their sleep. A place could only stand too much, though, which outruled any massive Pokemon for long periods of time. Red had to end this quickly.

Pika was currently occupied with keeping an enemy machop away from Bill and one of his siblings, the ones left behind for the second trip back. In fact, they were being carried out by Aero just then. He couldn't exactly fry the fighting type for faar of hurting Aero, so he was reduced to other less effective attacks. Sensing that Machop would hurt Pika pretty bad, Red's eyes scanned the rooms' floor. Nearby he spotted some of the battlefield's debris, scattered when Snorlax did his act. He grabbed it and went up to the Machop and tapped his back.

Machop spun around and was meeted by the chunk of rock to his face. Sensing an opportunity, Pika struck at Machop powerfully and sent him reeling to the ground, knocked out. There was a look in Pika's eyes that gave Red shivers. "_It's about time you did something to help me out! You know I can't shock or even use a move that would get rid of him!"_

Red sighed. "You know I can't understand you right? You seem to forget that often." Pika huffed crossing his little arms across his chest. It was a comical sight, but Red didnt' dare laugh. "Now come on! We've got a job to do." Pika's ears shot up in interest. He knew where this was going. "Let's take down Otis a few pegs!"

Red took a quick look around the room. The others had worked themselves leading the grunts out, and that was working. His eyes began to scan the room. There. Standing and doing nothing but shout the occasional order was Otis. The other men in the room were too terrified to go then see sense.

"_Take out the leader and the rest should scatter like pidgeys,"_ Pika snarled. He shot off straight towards Otis, with Red all too willingly following behind him.

Otis shouted off another round of orders and smiled when he saw the terrified faces of his lackeys. The kids they were fighting were young, yes, but Otis could see that they were skilled. Not enough to bet numbers, but enough to give him a headache.

Out of the corner of his peripheral vision, Otis watched as one of the men he detailed as a guard flew into the wall. The boy with raven hair and the Pikachu appeared to be charging straight at him. Nothing seemed to stop the duo,for the trainer's pokemon didn't even need to receive orders before it crashed all in its path. He'd have to deal with this one if he wanted moral to stay.

The men standing between the boy and himself fell away as Otis walked to meet this foe. On his lips were a smile, but without the warmth behind one. Inside Otis cursed the lack of weapons to fight back. The only squad with a full compliment of guns were Slade's. Otis could probably count the number of weapons on one hand, including his own pistol.

The boy stopped as his intense stare gazed at Otis. It lasted but a moment, but Otis flinched. The Pikachu made a move to spring and Otis snapped his fingers.

"You've done well to get this far," Otis felt himself start, his thick accent slurring through his words. "I haven't bothered to face anyone for years."

The boy seemed to gain strength from the thinly veiled threat. "I won't let you take these kids back for torture! You'll have to kill me!"

Otis laughed and gave a bow. "I'll tell you what. I'll use the hot irons myself when we get them back!" Faster then his arms seemed like they could move, his hand pulled off two pokeballs and threw them onto the ground. The boy's eyes widened as an Electivire and a Rhyperior came out. He wasn't holding back. This was a chance to reaffirm his process. One chance he'd enjoy…

Red's plans were instantly changed as he saw his opponents. Pika lept back to Rd's side waiting for orders. This wasn't a battle with a mook where Pika could do what he pleased. This was a boss batlle.

"Two on one isn't fair!" Red shouted as his hand lept to Lax's pokeball.

Otis noticed the movement and smiled. "Go ahead. I know you've got the other one there." Around him his men surrounded the battlefield while keeping a respective distance away. Otis stood up straighter. "You just have to get him out in time" He snapped his fingers and his pokemon lunged.

Electivire lunged forward while aiming for Pika's throat. Pika didn't give him the chance to land the hit, though, moving as fast as possible to avoid the blow. He remained moving by using his agility against the bulk of his opponents.

"Don't use electrical attacks yet!" Red yelled to Pika while he released Lax. The foe's Rhyperior charged the momen Lax was let out, aiming his sharp horn towards the fat pokemon. Lax curled up in a tight ball and tensed as the orn struck him. With his defense curl, the horn wasn't as effective, but it took a lot out of him Re could tell.

It was a very bad situation. The Electivire was sticking close to the Rhyperior and taking advantage of it's lightning rod. If there were any stay bolts, then Electivire would use them to go even faster with motor drive. There had to be a way out of this. His eyes fell on Pika standing alone in the playing field. There had to be an advantage of that somewhere.

"Lax move out of there!" He shouted. Lax nodded in acknowledgment of their pre prepared signal. Rocking back and forth, he moved much faster with rollout and crashing into the two pokemon and barraging them as Lax made his way across.

Otis didn't flinch. "Pick him up and toss him!" He shouted. Rhyperior forced himself up against the barrage and braced himself. He picked the monster snorlax up in the air and tossed Lax back towards the walls. Lax crashed down and the floor brokle csignhit o fall dwon a few floors. Red caught him with the beam of his pokeball and releases him once again to the field. The Rhyperior moved to charge Red, and he was forced to move to the window to avoid it.

Otis laughed. "You're losing. You're titian is no match against mine!" He gloated. "We might as well make this go even faster! He released all of his pokeballs at once. Red's courage took a hit as a Magmortar,, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Khanganastan were released. All massive pokemon. All highly dangerous, highly trained, and all really big…

Otis poised himself to finish Red off, but his newly released pokemon were assaulted by a jet of water. From the other room, Ruby, Lyra, and Crystal charged out with what they had and moved to engage Otis. The men surrounding the room moved to intercept them and were slapped aside, but it went unnoticed in Red's mind.

His mind seemed to go at a hundred miles per minute as he came up with a plan. Fighting to protect was as exciting as it was terrifying. Otis's forces were big, but that's all they were. Big. He saw them for their size and appearances, as far as Red could tell. It was a hunch, but he had a backing. Otis had ignored Pika entirely.

The Electivire thrust out with it's arm and caught Lax's stomach. Snorlax stepped back from the blow before returning the favor by slapping the pokemon five feet back. Meanwhile, Red caught Pika's eyes and made a hand signal. Pika nodded and became ready.

Otis darkly laughed. "An excellent match, but you lose. Horn drill Rhyperior!"

Lax braced himself as the Rhyperior's horn began to spin. Rhyperior stepped off and struck against the holding Lax. Lax strained against the assailant, but was distracted as Electivire got up and struck him. Lax lost his concentration for the merest second, but that was enough time for the drill to strike him. He fell to the ground unconscious and injured badly.

"You see boy!" Oits roared as Red retuned Lax. "You're nothing! I'll destroy you! Dare you stand against the girth of-

Out of the dark corner came Pika churning with energy. He dashed straight for the recovering pokemon, as he hardened his tail into iron and smashed into Rhyperior. Rhyperior literally flew straight at Otis, due to Pika's insane power. In another instant, Pika was at Electriver's side and barraging him with blows. Without Otis to order it, Electivire wassily able to wildy struggle but never hit the evasive Pikachu. He was forced to the ground as Otis got up, with all traces of humor gone.

Red smiled while flushed with battle. His heart seemed to come out of his chest and adrenaline flow throughout himself. This was a battle. This was what it felt like to be alive. A battle not only where he fought for something trivial, but to fight for others, to protect those who couldn't themselves. Red flashed a smile. "I win." Pika let loose with a charge of electricity that was incredibly strong. With his strength it knocked back most of the men fighting between the two struggling leaders. Red turned his gaze as Otis's remaining pokemon as they were stuck with Pika' massive volt. The other members of his squad flew to cover to avoid being charred.

Red nearly laughed. This was what it felt to be alive. This was him and how he'd protect. Aero was safely away with the children. All were safe and protected!. This fight was over! This was what he needed. This was life-

A sharp pain entered straight where Red's heart was. His smile froze on his lips as he stepped backwards. Pain flowed through him, and he didn't notice as he crashed through the window and began to fell to the ground…

Otis stood with his pistol locked in his hands. As the screaming started around him, he smiled. Wails around him rose up together in pure despair. He turned around and looked as around him as the boy's forces howled in agony.

Pika's cry seemed to shake the above as he tore after his fallen master. Without the benefit of his senses, he did the only thing that came natural. He plunged through the window and after Red. Below them, A boy named Green was dying abandoned of hope. There was only pain where he felt as his veins filled with poison, and beneath them, was Red still falling…

**To make it clear, It's a matter of how Red will survive, not if. **

**Edit- Thanks to a reviewer, I found out that Ruby's Mighteyana is actually named Nana, not Coco. I fixed it and I'd like to apologize for the mistake.**


	5. The Darkended Stranger

Chapter 4- The Darkened Stranger

Disclaimer

In Blue's hands, her dagger glistened covered with her new partner's blood. In her bag the antidote laid. Speaking of which, she really had to remind him to take his antidote, maybe holding it over the boy a bit. Greenie was much too tight for his own good. Yet, for all her training, he managed to hold his own with her. She found that interesting...

At her side Blasty, her Blastoise, was doing a remarkable job of dealing some wicked damage, and Nido the Nidoqueen was smashing holes through the floor, but for all their skill, it was still her, Greenie, and their mons against a good twenty men or so. Those were odds that not even Gold would bet with.

Greenie rolled next to her avoiding something that rushed by. His face was pale and getting paler by the minute, and he looked sick. "This would go a lot faster if you gave me the antidote," He gasped through clenched teeth.

Blue smirked evilly. "Let's try to get through this first sweetie," She said to aggravate the boy, "Then we can see about an antidote."

"Pesky girl," Greenie gasped. Without hesitating, he leapt out, pushing Blue to the side just in time for a bullet to strike where she had been.

Blue slipped on a mask of flirtation. "I guess you must care for me, if you were to save me, prince." She said in her best mask of flirty demeanor.

Green didn't change expression, but in his eyes Blue could see his annoyance. "I just need the antidote." Green said as he rolled to get back up.

What they were doing wasn't enough though. They were being pushed back. Without any hesitation, Blue grabbed her second dagger which held at her belt. She tossed it to Green who looked at it in confusion. Blue punched him lightly on the arm before the poor boy managed to get into a philosophical debate with himself. Really, he was like a lost puppy trying to deal with emotions when he had no clue what the term emotions was. "You're supposed to stab with it." She mimicked stabbing with her dagger.

Green scowled once again at her, but he must have known that she wouldn't have giving him a weapon without them really needing one. With their feet regained, Blue began to push back against the horde of enemies with Green at her side watching her back.

"_It was strange_," Blue thought as they pushed the enemy back. Green lunged when Blue left herself open to counterattacks from the men charging them with melee weapons, and she covered up any blows that came towards him. They fought like they had been training for years, not as if they had came into happenstance together just then.

The reason that no bullets were putting untimely ends to them was largely in part of the Scizor and Nido. Any bullets that came close to them were deflected, to the point that Slade could be heard ordering for them to switch to thick batons.

As well as they fought together, it wasn't enough to get much ground. The enemy was well trained and numbers were slowly overwhelming them. To her side, Blue watched as Green's Scizor stumbled as a fire Pokemon held it back, and the Charizard was starting to lose ground. Things were probably going to get bad, really fast if nothing intervened.

That was when a shout filled through the chaos of the room. It was clearly recognizable, the wordless primal roar of anger. Only one person Blue knew was short enough tempered to yell like that. It seemed her little brother had finally caught up, which meant she had the opening to pursue Slade…

Through the chaos, Green heard a roar of some kind of creature. He paid it no mind however, as he finished dealing with a man who had delayed him.

With his movement stopped, Blue had gone on without realizing that Green had fallen behind. That unfortunately gave one man with a pistol the gap to get in close enough to take a potshot. Things could be bad-

BOOM!

Green's eyes snapped open as an explosion came from the stairwell man in front of Green turned his attention to the smoke, and sensing his hesitation, Green snapped his legs out and struck them against the man, taking him to the ground. Green turned his eyes to the explosion, just in time to witness a black blur came leaping out..

The blur moved fast, much faster than what his eyes would follow. It came to the nearest of Slade's men and struck once before the man fell to the ground. Green was able to catch a glimpse of the stranger. The man, no boy, he was of a younger sort, had the intensity written on his face of a monster. At his side was a black katana,and the boy wore a kimono of the same color. The only thing that didn't fit the color scheme was the bright red hair atop him.

The boy looked around the room for the closest target, and Green felt him settle on himself. The boy leaped, and Green was only barely able to parry the blow from the boy's long katana with his dagger.

He quickly scanned his options as best as he could have after taking that ferocious blow. The boy's kattana was longer and more brutal, and he was too fast for Green to counter accurately. He had to do something he'd never expect…

As the boy closed in to strike, Green threw Blue's dagger at the boy. The boy's katana flashed upwards to counter the blow, and Green used the space to close in with a well placed blow. The boy's hand flashed upwards catching it, but the boy strained himself to counter the strength of Green's blow.

This was bad. Green had gone all out with the blow, but he was able to counter it, if only barely? The boy would have flashed his katana out and skewered Green, if not for the voice that Green was gradually beginning to hate.

"Silver!" Blue cried as she approached the two. "Took you long enough." Then as an afterthought, "Oh and stop trying to murder my new partner. His name his Green."

The boy scowled at Blue, without taking his fist away from Green. "Why and how do you manage to fight these strays Blue." He snarled, but without malice, to Blue.

"It was a temporary arrangement, Which by the way allowed me to deal with the rest of the men with your distraction, thank you." Green took a look around, and sure enough the silence was deafening. Around him were the fallen bodies of numerous men. Slade, on the other hand, was nowhere to be sen.

Blue noticed his glare and laughed. "Slade must have known we were taking him out and flew the coop," Her tone was of light-heartedness, but in her eyes Green saw none of that. The boy handled that Katana like it was feather. These two had more mysterious about them than he cared for.

Silver scowled at Blue before stomping off towards the nearest man. Green was about to ask him what he was doing, but an unhealthy suspicion filled his mind. To Green's horror, Silver brought up the Katana in order to bring it down….

"No!" Green cried as he flung himself at Silver. He was able to just make it to knock him aside, causing the blade to skewer a few inches off missing the man.

Silver pushed him off and leveled his weapon towards Green. "You have five seconds," He snarled. It didn't take a brain to know that Silver very dearly wanted to plunge it into him.

Green snapped. "He was defenseless and beat!"

Silver snarled at Green his intense eyes glaring with that same intensity. "They deserve to die. Or do you want a bunch of murderers to go free?"

"But you can't kill them if they're defenseless!" Green replied. He made a move to grab Silver's kattana, but found himself unable to. Exhaustion hit him like a wave and he stumbled to the ground.

Silver looked on in idle curiosity as Green struggled to get up, just barely unable to. "What's with you?" He said with a noticeable lack of interest.

A light bulb seemed to go over Blue. "Oh, that must be the poison I hit him with! I'm actually surprised he lasted as long as he did..." She leaned in to observe the writhing Green.

"The antidote-" Green gasped. Around him Scizor and Charizard were glaring angrily at the two standing over their master, but they were too injured to try and stop them. With a shaky hand, Green recalled them to their poke balls.

Blue grabbed something from her bag. "You mean this antidote," She teasingly held it just out of Green's reach as Silver looked on bored.

"-you promised."

Blue sighed. "I guess I did." She tossed it to Green who uncorked the vial. He looked at it for a moment, before realizing that if he took the time to examine it, it'd be too late. He gulped it down. Blue looked on shading her eye. "There was something I had to remember about that cure wasn't there- oh yeah, it'll keep you knocked out for a good three hours!"

Green widened his eyes and grabbed the girl by the hands. What he was planning, he didn't know. He managed to stay alert for a few more seconds, before closing his eyes and saw only black….

Blue carefully removed Green's hands from her arm. Careful not to disturb the sleeping boy, She stood up to meet Silver's accusing gaze. "What," She asked purposely lightheartedly.

Silver scowled at her. "What's with him?" He asked gesturing roughly to Green. Blue walked over to the boy and grabbed his chin to direct his gaze elsewhere.

"I find him interesting. What you need to worry about is cleaning up your mess." She said.

Silver slapped her hand away and blustered. "My mess? You know the others need us out of here soon, so they can blow the charges!"

"And you were supposed to not leave any bodies behind. We need the rest of the Growlithe cooperation scared when we blow up their building. We can't have them scared if you let them all die."

SIlver scowled. "If you notice, they were killing you."

"I would've been fine." She said with a straight face. "You should start moving them out of the tower. We wouldn't want them to be buried would we?"

Blue began to make her way to the stairway. "Where are you going?" Silver asked.

"I need to check something out. And try not to be too unnecessarily rough with them, would you? I'll know if you try stabbing Greenie when my back is turned." Silver scowled, letting Blue know that he was planning exactly that.

She left her brother behind, climbing up the stairs. Silver glanced around the giant mess of the room with the large amount of fallen and near dead men. With a sigh, he began dragging the nearest one out. He had to start somewhere….

Red's POV-

Falling was a curious sensation. It was both a rushing experience that caused the adrenaline to rush through the blood, and the sheer joy there was in doing the dangerous. And it was also the sensation of falling to your own death while a bullet was roughly in your heart as you plugged to your doom…

Was Red regretting his decision? Yes, yes he was.

The pain was unbelievable. He'd been shot before but only in full battle armor. The kind that laughed at anything short of rocket launchers. Worse was that he knew that he was leaving his friends behind. He was alone.

A cry, though, lit though the air. Red was hit in shock as he saw a yellow blur that seemed really familiar. It wouldn't be though, Pika was smart and wouldn't-

"Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkaa!"

No. No. Red tried to turn himself in the air. He could do nothing, as he watched his beloved friend slam towards him. Red reached out and clutched Pika to his chest. "You're a fool you know that." Red whispered, clutching him tightly against his chest.  
_  
_"_And you're an idiot. You should have worn better armor. Or not challenge the boss to single combat you idiot!"_

Red only smiled. At least he would die being scolded as usual. He had reached maximum speed, unable to go any faster. What could save him? He was dead, and it would be good to die this way he guessed.

A screech tore through the air. Red watched as Aero flew as fast as he could, towards him. But it was too late, he'd never make it. He hoped the others could take care of Aero and the rest. He should have never gone, but at least he'd saved the kids. Bill would be safe with his siblings.

Red was just about to close his eyes and let this fate meet him, but one last sound was heard. An unearthly screech sounded out from the roof. It was Crystal, Ruby , and Lyra. They were screeching. They'd be left alone. It was his job to keep them safe.

It was his fault. If he hadn't let Green go, they'd be safe. If he hadn't fought like the bloody git he was, then they'd be safe. Instead, he fought Otis like the thrill seeker he was. He let himself become overwhelmed in himself, and he fell because of it.

He couldn't accept it, he wasn't done, he couldn't be! He and Green had sworn that they'd keep the novices safe. They were his responsibility. He couldn't be gone- he couldn't let them be alone like him. To face Otis alone. To die alone like he had been, like Green was-

HE WOULDN'T LET THEM!

A roar was forcefully ripped from Red's lungs. A scream that seemed to take his soul. What his might was, it seemed to triple it. It came from his soul, his very soul and his every last emotion. He felt himself grow, not only in strength but in wisdom and age. And around him wings of fire rose...

Blue climbed the stairs, moving also as if guided. She knew there was something up ahead. Something seemed to be off. She didn't know what it was, but felt herself bid to it.

Blue reached another floor, and screams were heard from ahead. Blue tuned to them, guided by that invisible hand…

Inside the room, it was a war zone. The debris and loose pieces of ceiling and metal fell everywhere. The unconscious bodies of multiple grunt were all around, and further down there was shouting.

Curiously, she ventured forward, keeping to the shadows of the room and letting them cover herself. She traveled through the broken room, when a fierce wail came from up ahead. Inside it was the notes of the worst of calamities and darkest sense of loss. Blue nearly shivered as the emotions hit past her, unused to feeling anything of this magnitude, and being a creature of darkness like herself, that was saying something.

Blue quickened her pace as the first room letup to a second, but this one was populated. Standing in a loose formation there was a group of three teen to young adult aged children. They were the source of the despair that surrounded them. Around them were multiple grunts. They all seemed to be afraid of something. They had surrounded the three people but made no move to fight.

The sense of despair was so strong, it was a wonder no one else could sense it, the very air seemed thick with it and-

"Ya know what's going on?"

Blue snapped her attention behind her mentally preparing for a fight, but was reached with only a familiar face. "Sapphire, I thought you were setting those charge with Gold and Yellow!"

Saphie was a well muscled girl, or at least she seemed so. Her specially sharpened teeth disallowed that belief that she was just a girl. Sapphire shrugged lightheartedly. "They had it covered. They're evacuating soon, but I had a sense-o-something...," She trailed off and Blue was about to ask what had attracted her attention until a deep voice behind her began to speak.

"I'd welcome it if you'd surrender now": There were no traces of humor, only dark intentions from a person that Blue really did not plan to see. Otis.

What was he doing here? He was suppose to be in a different tower managing his business! That was why they had chosen to rob his papers when he was away!

Blue's rant was stopped as one of the teen aged people did one of the stupidest things she could ever think of doing.

"Otis! You bastard!" It was a girl with black pigtails,and she pretty much charged straight at Otis regardless of numbers. A boy beside her tried to stop her, but was knocked aside rather easily.

Otis didn't move as the girl charged, only raising a hand as a few of his men intercepted her. She was knocked to the ground easily. "Crystal!" The third party member cried and surged forward. Otis raised his gun and shot.

The girl ducked to the ground to avoid the shot, but slammed down heavily on the debris. The boy got up and charged with his Swampert and Mightyena and the other Pokemon.

What she didn't get was why did she still feel like something was coming?She wouldn't feel like this if they were just suffering.

The girl, Crystal apparently, cried in pain, and all of the world seemed to break the moment of that as a creature appeared from the window, roaring a primal rage….

His blood was was a fierce burning his heart that pounded as if each strike was an earthquake. Red was almost unaware of himself as he seemed to somehow move upwards at speeds the confused the mind. What was the most wonderful thing though, was that he was flying.

He would have yelped in excitement, if not for the rage that burned in him. A yell of pain came from above, that seemed to sound across his ears despite the distance. With another surge of strength, Red bust through the building.

Concrete scattered as if it was sand as Red rushed in, still confused but as enrage as he'd ever been.

Otis was thrown back as the debris scattered everywhere. Around him, his grunt threw themselves to the ground as- something- pulled itself out of the floor. Otis made a halfhearted motion to stand, but the monster slapped him full on, sending him carting into a could see who it was. It was the boy.

Red felt events move too fast for his mind to comprehend. He was filled with a rush that made it difficult to focus. A grunt moved to attack him, and with a casual slap, Red sent him barreling into a wall. The opponent's Pokemon moved to attack, but were repelled by both Aero and Pka, the two fighting as if inspired, and as fresh as if they'd visited a Pokemon center.

Otis stood up and watched the boy who he assumed dead began to systematically tear apart his forces. His presence inspired the flagging teens, giving them hope and strength. Their aid in the attack struck fear into the hearts of his own men, but it was that boy, that damned boy who was ruining it! He wasn't human, they way he fought. He had put a bullet into his heart, and he shrugged it off like it was nothing! How was he alive?

Otis wanted to kill him. He wanted to have his boot grind the boy's skull away, but he couldn't. He didn't have the numbers for the weapons. And so, Otis uttered the words he never expected to say. "Retreat! Get out now! Whoever is injured, help them if you can, if not," His lips curled in distaste, "They are no use to me. Get out!" And with that note, Gordon fled the scene, rage bubbling beneath his calm exterior. Coincidentally, Gordon couldn't tell what had happened to the boy. but he did know one thing. There would be another day...

It was impossible. It was the most unlikely thing she could have ever seen. She never expected to see such a sight in her long life, but here she was watching it. The damned boy was an angel!

It wasn't unheard of. They sometimes traveled in groups, but only rarely. There hadn't been a force this large since the great raiding of the masked demon.

There was only one way this could have worked. More common than an angelic force, which would have impeded their plans, was the sleeper agent. One person in a group of highly promising individuals's would be an angel, and that angel would work to bring them together The last ioen to do so though, was the blasted Lord Stone…

"I didn't think I'd ever see this." Sapphire said in awe as she watched the boy tear apart the force that had caused them so much trouble. " An angel. Ya know what they'd do if they found us here."

Blue knew perfectly well what they'd do. Angels hated demons as they hated Angels. Demons like them were to be cursed for falling prey to a monster that they had no resistance against. The last treaty they signed, forbidding their use of magic in favor of forever banishing Demons was the fault of this.

Blue glanced to Sapphire and saw that as confident the girl usually was, she was starting to flag. "Let's go. Gold's going to blow this place anyway." She turned her back to her worst enemies, and with Sapphire made her way out of the building. And while she still had that traser on him, it wasn't until later that she put the connection together about Green and the rest of what must be his group…

Gold would blow the pace soon. Silver knew from painful experience that Gold was too trigger happy to be trusted with anything that went boom. Only Yellow was stopping him from leveling the place. Silver sighed. Sometimes it seemed that Yellow was the only person on the team with any sense.

Silver was just about done. He knew he had one last job to do, but Silver was hesitant to bring himself to do it. The annoying brat. The one his sister found so he had his way, anyone who looked at his sister or vice versa should be gutted like the scum they were.

Weakling most of them. But Blue had the annoying problem of thrusting herself into situations she couldn't handle. Silver reluctantly dragged his feet to the room where Green laid. The rest were in an unsightly pile at the bottom of the tower. But he had waited for this one- this hated one.

How long since someone had landed a blow? How long had it been since anyone had lasted under his onslaught? Silver knew Blue would stab him again if he hurt him too badly, but he couldn't help but kick Green's unprotected body.

Silver sighed as he hoisted the heavy boy onto his shoulder. He wasn't to harm him overly so. He wasn't specified where he was to put him.

He reached the ground floor and was greeted by the chaos that was the cowards that ran.  
In their panic, they didn't notice as Silver strode past ignoring them. He didn't have time for weaklings.

Something picked up his attention as he made his way past though. A large armored truck was standing rumbling. On the dashboard was a trench coat that seemed familiar. A man began to run straight towards it, and Silver sunk into the shadows.

"Slade's gonna kill me." He muttered to himself as he grabbed the man's trench coat from the dashboard. "Of course you rip it, how do you rip bulletproof fabric and forget to grab it?"

Silver stood still as another man approached the truck. "Come on. We need that supply of weapons before we go! Slade wants all hands on deck!"

Silver's ears perked up in interest. This was what was going on. Weapons were pretty valuable, so it made sense for them to take them before the cops eventually showed up, (Where were they anyway?), and if this was Slade's truck…

Silver glanced to Green and a smirk began to fill his features. He deserved it. Silver waited until the men left before stepping out.

Dragging Green's body, Silver went to the back of the truck. Unceremoniously, Silver threw the boy behind some crate at the back out of sight. There, that was good. He left him while a smirk appeared as he thought of the trouble he'd have to go through when he was found. That would be entertaining...  
_

"Red you're alive!" It could be described comical the way that the big, scary, power level over 9000- this is my final form- boy was jumped by all three of his squad. Red was too busy laughing at the fact that he had wings to notice though.

"You did it" Crystal cried. "You- you released your wings!" Not in living memory had someone released their wings at this age. There were barely two people who Red could say that released their wings at all. Lord Stone and Professor Oak.

Red felt the adrenaline began to subside and his energy flagged. How once he was able to move across in an instant suddenly took that much time, and behind Red, his wings slowly subsided.

That was normal. Their wing couldn't stay for long. To unlock them at all was a task that was to move a mountain, but he did it! He had rescued them and no one was hurt!

Ruby had forgotten his normal attitude regarding dirt, lightly punched Red on the shoulder. "We just need to find Green and we can get out of here! Right Red?"

Red sobered up a little, but Crystal put her hand on Red's shoulder. "You know Green. He is the one most likely to not die here. He'll be fine." Red smiled, but there was that nagging feeling at the back of his head…

Lyra threw her head back and laughed. "We won! I can't believe it, but we won!" She stumbled a bit backwards. "Also, I think that my caffeine is about to run out."

Red only laughed at the girl, while the children who'd been abandoned sat useless, now that they were no longer needed for the plot. Crystal was the first to recover her attitude. "Should we go look for Green or check if he's already out by Bill and the rest?"

Red thought for a moment. Green was probably already out and waiting angry, so they might as well check. If not, he'd have an excuse to send the rest to safety while went back in. "Let's check on Bill and see if he's there."

They were safe, and Green had always been tougher than him. As they exited the roof on flying type Pokemon (Xatee and Aero), Red tried to shake his feelings off. Green was alright.

Unbeknownst to Red, he passed Green. All the way down to the ground, Slade had finally manage to recover all the weapons he could find. He took his squad and pulled out, and in his haste forgot to check the crates where the sleeping Green laid. And he didn't notice as he tore out of the city with no regards for traffic laws...

Yes, they were safe. Green was probably all right. He was skilled enough to get away with being Red's rival, he'd surely be okay. Red thought as he neared Bill, who was standing on the rooftop watching them as they flew in, the rest of his siblings having fallen asleep due to being so young. Green could not be seen. As Red landed, he swept his eye out. Not there. He must be hiding, or simply making his way up the building. He couldn't be-

_And that when the tower of Growlithe Enterprises exploded. _

Red could feel a blast of heat even here. Around him, the blast nearly knocked over his friends, and in Bill's' case, did knock him over But Red's thoughts weren't on that. He only had one thought on his mind.

"_Green"._

_The diary of Blue *last name too smudged to be seen*_

_Dear diary, and all others reading this over my shoulder,_

_If you are reading this, then you already know about our mission to Growlithe Entreprises. The results were not exactly successful. We were able to get our objective completed, and the tower was successfully blown, but you know we ran into a little_ _issue. The boy from the tower, Red, was most definitely an angel. And if you had somehow know Red's thoughts, you'd know he'd have been tightlipped about it, even though it's freaking obvious. So I'm going to be straight here. I'm a demon. There I'm more honest than those so called protectors of truth…_

_There is also the matter of Green. He was fascinating… For some reason, there is an interest in me about him. Something about him. _

_Either way, he needs to be watched. We manage to get the information about our next target however. The location of that special stone, on the neck of a certain Platina Berlitz…_

_Gotta go, we're nearly to base. _

_Sincerely, _

_The Jaded Liar._

End of Part 1.

**Slade is an OC who's there to provide a competent opponent without taking characters from the source material, for most will be needed later. Otis is actually a trainer in Soul silver/Heart gold, but given a massive upgrade in Pokemon… and turned into an evil gangster.**

**This tower setting went on much longer than it should have. I'm pleased to report that this is the last you'll ever see of it. I really need to learn how to write things so they are shorter…**

**Anyway, in this story, I will be focusing primarily on the viewpoints of Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. The other characters will have time to shine and will have viewpoints of their own, but for now it's the gen 1 players. I've got the story mapped out, I just need to write it down, which can take a while…**


	6. The Return Home

The air was somber, even though they neared their situation. They searched for hours, and would have searched longer, if not for the fact that the police department finally appeared to interfere. It had been plain to see, but they had chosen to forget it. Green was gone.

Red adjusted himself while still trying to hold on to Charlie. It was an awkward position, with Red hanging with one hand from Aero's claw, the other clutching Charlie, but without Green and is Charizard, well they were down one flying pokemon.

"How long till we reach the place we're going?" Bill called out from the class of Xatee, the boy having opted to ride with Crystal.

Crystal answered, but despite how much she stressed on how happy she was, it was apparent that she was out of it as the rest. "A few minutes. We're getting close."

Red closed his eyes and focused on the area around him. He needed to be calm. But the despair was too strong. Red would have broken down, but he couldn't afford too. The kids knew something was wrong. Green was gone, but they still saw their rescuers as the brave people that they were. Red couldn't break down. He couldn't afford to.

As much as he tried though, he couldn't help that one tear that slid off his cheeks and plummeted downwards, falling through the mat of clouds and disappearing out of sight…

Eden, the city of angels. It was an awe inspiring sight to all those who were permitted to enter its lofty halls. Hidden in a valley near route 29 near New Bark Town, the buildings sparkled in the sunlight. If you were to find the well hidden place, stolen away from any passerby's and flyovers, and even satellite pictures, you'd find the carefree amazing city that had been the home of heroes for centuries.

Inset in the lofty buildings were jewels from a thousand of the hardest to reach places. Long reaching balconies to land any flying pokemon and a majestic castle in the center. Surrounding the city was a wall that stood as thick as a building and as stout enough to withstand being hit with one.

Home of heroes it may have been, but like all cities, it was required that it had a guard. To fight against any unsavory creatures of the night like rumored vampires or unpleasant humans, it was required that royal guards perform their duty to protect the city with their lives. Only the best got into the guard. It was of the highest honor available.

"_And," _thought a certain Steven Stone, "_The most boring job ever."_ Not that the man could say that aloud of course. No, the great Lord Stone, hero of a thousand of battles, architect of the improvement of the city after the fire that destroyed nearly the entire place after an enemy attack during the war, the man who personally led the force that challenged the Masked Man's forces over the kidnapping of a large group of the children with the most potential in the world, couldn't say that. Which meant he had to sit still and wait for his shift to be over.

He'd much rather be looking at rocks. Yes, rocks were really wonderful. Just the other day, Steven had gone spelunking in Sinnoh and found the most sparkling of stones, a beautiful shiny stone. But he couldn't afford to think of rocks just then. He had to finish his guard duty.

Just as he was beginning to think that the entire venture had been worthless, Steven spotted the barest speck of something in the far distance. It could have been anything, including a flying pokemon taking flight, but somehow, Steven felt the importance of it. Looking ahead, he spotted an Aerodactyl, and in its talons was-

"GET ME A MEDICAL DIVISION NOW!"

As the beaten force of Red painfully landed in the clearing, Steven had to nearly bite off his tongue to prevent asking any questions. But there was one that he had foremost on his mind. There was the group with some half starved children, who were immediately taken to the center for treatment, but one person was missing...

Steven hurried as the group hesitantly stumble towards the town hall to report as protocol stated. Protocol mandated with the loss of a personnel. The young teen who Steven had taught and mentored for years, was gone.

Professor Oak was many things. Hero, scientist, and elected leader of the city were all among his titles. He had faced armies in battle, and had been old enough to live through two of the demonic wars.

But even he hesitated in giving his orders out to a certain team as soon as they arrived. Oak knew that they were stressed with him. He had taken away a good chunk of their teams without consulting them, and he had been sending them on mission after mission for the past few months, but he couldn't stop now. They were the best there was other than Stone and his long ago scattered team, and the stakes were so high.

A commotion from outside his room began. Oak turned to the entrance of that massive hall he was forced to build to entertain leaders. Oak had wanted a simpler thing, but for the Angel leader, nothing short of a palace built of the finest marble would do. His office resembled more of a throne room than an office, and often, Oak had gotten lost in it. Past the great doors that were obstructing him from the rest of the manor/castle that the government worked in, Oak could hear the shouting of several people.

His wonders in what was going on was stopped as the great doors were thrown open. In limped in what was Green and Red's elite team, looking beaten and battered but perfectly fine on the outside. Red was in the foremost charge of the group, and didn't halt despite the badgers of the Nurse Joys that followed him.

Oak forced himself to smile. "Ah Red! You finished your reconnaissance I assume?" Something about Red was off. Oak looked at him carefully, until he realized it was not the outside but inside that was in turmoil. The group all halted respectfully in front of Oak's great chair, reminiscent of an olden king's.

It took a few seconds for Oak's keen mind to deduce the trouble. "Hmm. You seem so sober Red. And you look like you've been through the mill." Oak closed his eyes. "You released your wings didn't you!"

Whatever they had expected, it wasn't this. Red opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Finally, he whispered, "my wings did manifest."

Oak smile in pride, but their faces were quite contrary to what those whose friend achieving a task of what many never did. In fact, they looked- haunted?

Crystal, gazing down at the floor, unable to reach Oak's eyes said, "The information was wrong. Otis was there along with a contingent of his men."

"What happened?" It might have taken a while, but he was finally beginning to notice the faces of what event had taken place. And only after spending a few minutes looking did he notice who was gone. "Where is Green?"

There was silence, and finally Red raised his head to meet Oak's eyes. "We should talk by ourselves."

And so, it was that the room gradually emptied of all but the elderly man and the boy aged beyond his years. and that was how Oak's world was broken, not by arrows or the blade as many had tried for years, but by a fate that was worse, and how after years from being on the field, he was reminded of what true despair was.

**A girl named Yellow-**

After committing an act of corporate espionage and destroying a prominent building that was key to contributing to society, it would be expected that the persons in question would feel something about what they did.

Yellow only felt sleepy, and nearly did fall asleep as they hijacked a car and drove t their base.

"Yel- Yel- Yellow get up before I let Gold in." Yellow was rudely thrown into consciousness as Blue finished shaking the small blond girl.

"Why did you…" Yellow muttered but stopped as a yawn interrupted her.

Their boss, if what she did was constituted as leadership, laughed at the girl. "You do know you're supposed to be a scary, flesh eating, and tireless demon right?"

"Oh sure! Rub it in!" Yellow halfheartedly snapped back before stretching herself out to shake the last vestiges of sleep.

It was a sad fact. While the rest of their group were well muscled, combat trained, and perfectly evil group like they should be, Yellow, well Yellow was small and could use a fishing rod. That counted for something right?

"Oh don't be like that," Blue said extending her hand.

Yellow contemplated it for a second before using it to pick herself up. "How long was I out that time?"

"Only the entire ride from Goldenrod to the mountain. The others are waiting for you in the clearing."

"_Camp- oh joy."_ Yellow briefly contemplated going back to sleep, but the look on Blue's face discouraged her. That and Gold carried around a bucket of ice for pranks. Yellow reluctantly let Blue drag her to the cold landscape.

Camp, or as the others called it, a minuscule version of a frozen distortion world. Mt. Silver was full of snow, was unbelievably cold, had a ton of snow, full of pokemon that would quickly beat up the toughest trainer, and did she mention the snow?

Demons were supposed to tough it out. But then, demons were supposed to be bloodthirsty and perfect warriors. Yellow had yet to kill, despite being at the business as long as Blue, the second oldest after herself, and worse was that of all things, she was a vegetarian! A vegetarian demon whose main resource was healing magic wasn't exactly what others would look up to. And Yellow hated herself for it.

But she couldn't afford to be depressed now. Not when the source of their last few months of missions was located in Blue's hands. Not when they were about to be finished. Maybe they'd finally get a break.

Yellow knew that was unlikely. As she walked into the clearing with Blue, she contemplated what she'd do on vacation but knew it was pointless. One last job. A theft of something precious. Another chance of Yellow failing so bad, it was ridiculous. Then she'd be released.

In the time she took to think, they had made their way in the clearing where the rest of the group was waiting. Gold was the first one Yellow noticed, mostly because he was doing the suicidal act of trying to put snow down Silver's back. Yellow only sighed as the red headed boy stood up in shock as the cold suddenly assaulted him.

Gold began to laugh so hard, he fell to the ground, but it didn't last that long. As soon as Silver found the object of his misery, he grabbed Gold by the throat lifting up the raven haired boy up. "You idiot." Silver threw Gold a good twenty feet into a snowdrift.

"Serves em right!" Sapphire watch with mild interest as Gold struggled to get up, only to come across the severely angered Silver who began to shove him down once more. Sapphire was unaffected, even though she had to be freezing in the deep snow. Yellow knew she certainly was.

Gold caught Silver by the leg,and quickly dragged him down into the snowbank with him. Before they could begin to squabble down there, though, Blue made her presence known.

"Alright come on! As much as I want to see Gold get beaten up, Yel is awake which means we're late if we don't move now!" Yellow sighed once more as SIlver punched Gold in the face one last time before tearing out of the snowdrift. An elite team right?

"He hit me!" Gold complained.

"And you asked for it!" Silver snarled. Only his insane loyalty to Blue stopped him from tearing Gold a new hole in his stomach. Silver was one who seriously scared Yellow. The whole lot of them could get dangerous real fast, but Silver was far too easy to anger and a lot willing to make things dangerous.

Yellow didn't try to pry into Silver's business, but on a few occasions they had worked together. She still hadn't let it out that he scared her though…

He was dark like they should be. All of the others were, even Gold. They were nice and evil, so why did it have to be her who was so useless! She tried all she could, but all she could do was heal. Like any self respecting demon could heal.

A hand on Yellow's shoulder caused her to leap up in fright. Blushing, she kept her eyes to the ground as she noticed that it was Blue. The others began to laugh at her, but without malice, or at least that was what Yellow hoped. It wasn't as if they didn't secretly despise how she was so weak…

As soon as Blue caught her breath, she winked at Yellow. "Come on! We don't want you falling asleep on the way up!" Yellow said nothing, but the blush on her face probably could have melted the snow.

Laughter aside, they began to make their way up the mountain. Blue led the way, despite complaining the whole time to a Silver who was trying hard to care for his sister while not snapping at her actions. As it was obvious, that didn't go over well.

After an hour's climb, they finally neared a clearing. It was nowhere near the summit, and Yellow was pretty sure anyone trying to reach the summit would be insane. The amount of wild pokemon tying to kill them on the way up was insane. That and what Yellow could sense off of them, but that was another story.

"We're there. Break time!" Blue laughed before flopping down on a rock. The others did as such, but it wasn't a minute before Gold got bored.

"I'm bored!" He whined to everyone's annoyment. "Where is he?"

"Actually I've been here for the past hour."

Yellow once again found herself leaping out of her seat as beside her, a previously unseen man stepped out of the shadows. A man with a high forehead and thin chin bone, with a hairstyle spiking up was seen. In the light garb that he was wearing, he should have been freezing, but Koga the ninja didn't' let any of his demeanor show that.

Blue huffed showing no surprise whatsoever. "So what are you doing here Koga? I'm pretty sure the boss said he was going to get the information."

Koga raised an eyebrow in what was his equivalent of a shout of surprise. "Really? I was told to get the intel from you and assign you to our next mission. He coming was never the plan as far as I was aware."

Silver scowled. "Of course the old man ditches us again." He got up from the rock that he had been lying on.

"Not totally unexpected," Blue sighed. She grabbed a bundle of papers from her bag and clenched them in her hands. Despite the fact that they were some of the most valuable thing the team had gained in the years, Blue tossed it casually to Koga who caught it without any hassle.

He opened the seal on the papers and began to read. Once again, one of his eyebrows raised as he went through the information. "Have you read this yet?" He asked casually to Blue, but even Yellow could tell that the question wa loaded.

"A bit." Blue casually shrugged her shoulders.

"I see," Koga simply stated. "You know where you are going next then?" At Blue's shaking of her head, Koga continued. "Luckily, I've been reading the files on important personnel. Platania is well protected at home by her father's security forces."

Gold, being the annoying person that he was, leapt onto that chance. "You really need a hobby if you're reading those files! I only read a few, and that was because the pictures of those hot women." He started chuckling evilly but was stopped as Silver casually backhanded him to the ground.

Koga ignored the sigh and continued. "These orders aren't set in stone, but i'm pretty sure what you are doing." He paused, and if Yellow didn't know Koga, she would have thought it would have been for dramatic suspense. "Congratulations. It seems you'll be going to that new specialty school that was set up in SInnoh.

"WHAT!" Their cries of being against that was clearly heard from everyone, the fact that they would be going someplace like that, ridiculous.

What they didn't know was that someplace else, in a palace, Red wa expressing the same opinion…

"Specialty school! After what we've been through!." Normally Red was able to control, his emotions in social situation rather well. Sure, he could get carried away in battle, but his manners were impeccable. That was on normal days through.

They had gone through an experience that would haunt them for years. They'd lost a friend and it was Red's fault. Why would Oak think that this was in any way a good idea!

Red could perfectly well sense that Oak knew what he was thinking. It was a measure of the man that he kept still the entire time that Red began to rant. Not once did he let anything show, even as Red chewed out the man who had done so much for him.

Finally, Red was out of things to say. Oak stood in front of him, still as expressionless as ever. Red struggled to catch his breath falling the ground before finally muttering "Tell me why?"

Oak sighed. Used to seeing the elderly man as a strong figure, Rd was totally surprised as he sunk to the ground next to Red. Oak just sat there staring off into the space. Finally, he started, "You know, they believe that I'm unfailable, some of the others."

Red stayed silent. Oak continued. "But I make mistakes as much as you. For example taking away half of your entire teams of pokemon."

"Yeah."

Oak stayed silent for a second before continuing."It might not make you feel better, but there is a reasoning behind that." He waited. Nothing came forth. "The newest batch of rookies were shown how to capture with those friends of yours. They caught their first friends."

Still nothing. He continued. "To myself, the reasoning was sound. You were on a reconnaissance mission, with orders not to engage. I didn't factor in outside forces distracting you."

Oak sat there silently, sitting next to Red as the boy reviewed his options. Finally, he spoke the words he felt were strongest. "I'm sorry. About Green."

Oak closed his eyes, "First my children, now my grandson. I should have expected it." Oak sighed once before getting up. "But there is a matter that is more important, which means like all leaders I must put aside my grief."

"The school."

"It's in Sinnoh. A specialty school focusing on battling, capturing, and contests among other things. You and your squad are already competent, but that isn't the major focus." Oak got up and went behind his desk. He grabbed something from it and tossed it to Red. A pokedex.

Red hesitantly turned it on. On the screen was a picture of a girl sitting on a chair. She looked young but also proud and had a bearing about her. Wearing a few rings and items of high value, it wasn't a step to assume that she was no stranger to wealth. What attracted his attention was a necklace that shone brilliantly, even on the dex". Red read the name that was on the screen. "Platina Berlitz."

Oak nodded. "A noble girl from a high ranking family. She's being targeted by something, but for all we know, it could be anything from those gangsters you encountered to vampires."

Red paused thinking how he could phrase the question then decided to throw cautiousness out the window. "Why us?"

"Because you are the best and the need is great." Oak grabbed something from his drawer. A picture. "Rumor has it that something in the family is key to some kind of dark ritual. We don't know for sure, but it registers as something that could endanger us all."

"So we're getting it," It was a statement not a question.

Oak shook his head. "Protecting it. School semester starts soon. It's run by the champion of Sinnoh and is the highest ranked school in the world. A bit like a Hogwarts in fact." Oak chuckled halfheartedly at his joke. "Some others will be joining you, the usual groups, but later. A reason why you were chosen is because they sent letters asking for you individually. They've heard of all of your achievements in your private lives. They don't know about you being on a team or we exist though."

"When do we leave." Red knew that they couldn't avoid it, but he hoped that they'd get some time-

"You leave tomorrow."

Red knew it was better to not argue. Oak was a high ranking official. He couldn't argue with him. But if he stayed, he would say something he'd regret. And so, he left.

Oak did nothing to stop him. In fact, Red didn't know that Oak would have made no move to defend himself had Red snapped. He deserved it. After Red was gone, Oak finally turned his photo that he'd been clutching. It was an inauspicious picture, being taken years ago. And on that was the smiling face of his children, grandchildren, and wife.

It was when they were happy. When they were still alive. They were gone, and here he was, the old one once again. Alone once more. There was only one thing that kept him grounded. His task, his last one. One last task, then Red would thank him and he could go on. He could finally get the rest he deserved. Just as soon as they finished their he could see them again. He just needed time.

And that, was something that even the old man, had ample enough of.

**Yellow-**

It was late at night. The others were fast asleep in their tents, but if they awoke, Yellow knew she would get a few awkward questions. Luckily, Koga had already gone to report the mission, so she didn't have to worry about the silent ninja master.

As she stole her way from camp,with her footfalls silent as they tramped on well tread paths she had gone nightly, Yellow tried to quicken her pace. She didn't want anyone to see her. She just needed to be alone.

While Yellow thought there was no one to see her, she was actually wrong. A boy laid in the shadows and noticed Yellow's movements, but Silver didn't care.

As of late, he'd been sleepless. Nothing he did worked, and he couldn't exactly do anything in the middle of the night, so he'd been creeping out of his tent that he shared with Gold to get some solace.

It was apparent to him that Yellow was sneaking out of night the first time he had gone out, but Silver didn't care. If it had been anyone else, then Silver might have been worried. They were all too headstrong, but Yellow was different. She was level headed and the only one who truly seemed the best in the squad. Oh the rest tried, but out of the troubles in the squad, Yellow seemed the best able to handle it or hide it, but Yellow was a terrible liar. She wouldn't be hiding something like that from them would she?

Silver continued his sleepless night, desperately hoping he could at least gain a little sleep, if only for a while. But that would be a first.

Yellow nervously looked around herself and into the bleak empty landscape. Not much was there, but she couldn't be sure. She was terrified of being caught, but the rewards that waited at the end were worth it.

But to be safe, she might as well check once more. She had walked a few miles around the camp, but that might not be enough. Maybe she should go further or check for outlying village-

"_Get it over with Yel!"_ Yellow sighed. She knew she had to try to be brave. She was being paranoid. Besides she couldn't wait any longer. She grabbed the pokeballs that hung from her waist. "Dody, Chuchu, Ratty!" She opened the orbs.

The others were where they usually were. Sitting in Viridian Forest waiting to be called. But these three had wanted to come with her. Out of the pokeballs came an electrical mouse, a flightless bird, and a rat. They could be called ugly, but no. Yellow saw them as nothing but the beautiful friends that they were.

"_Hm? Ahh Yellow!" _ Chuchu cried as she raced to tackle her trainer.

"_Yellow!" _The others cried and soon they jumped her creating a massive pile of swarming pokemon.

Yellow tried to keep herself from crying, then decided to forget it completely. "Girls! Boys!" She struggle to get up but their affectionate tackling brought her to the ground. How she had longed to do this. It had been so long. "You know I said not to tackle me!"

"_Yet you let us!" _Ratty retorted back. Yellow smiled.

It was impossible. The physics involved were dangerous and misunderstood. A few trainers were able to understand their own pokemon well enough, but actually talk to them and others? Impossible and forbidden. The last speaker who tried was crucified immediately. It was something foreboding, something she shouldn't be doing, something that-

"_Let's play tag!" _Doddy cried butting his head affectionately at Yellow before racing off. Yellow decided to forget everything, and let herself be surrounded by the simple facts of her friends being with her.

And so, she spent the last vestiges of night going into the day spending with her friends, which during the day, she'd spend sleeping and waiting to be with her friends once more. She'd be tired the next day, from the strain from talking to them among other things. But this, this was all worth the suffering. It was worth the wait.


	7. The Specialty School

"Bookbag?"

"Check."

"Notebooks?"

"Check."

"Sword?"

"Do you really think I'd forget my weapon?" Red yelled.

"What about that time in-" A girl a few years older than Red began.

"Daisy!" Red had planned to go early out to the meeting place to get a head start. He even packed all of his items beforehand, but what he had forgotten to anticipate was Daisy Oak.

The woman looked no less despite being through grief. That was only on the outside though, which was why Red was letting her go through this little act. They both know that Red was perfectly ready, but it comforted them both to go through an act like this.

"I can't help but be excited. You're gong to that school in Sinnoh! I've heard a lot about it around the area. A few rookies graduated from that school and were amazing."

Red sighed . Of course Daisy knew what the school was. Since she was a contester, it would be expected that she heard the rumors about that place. "You know we graduated past that level years ago right?"

Daisy winked at him. "Oh I'm sure that you'll be surprised. They teach a few things here that even I've never seen!"

Red decided to just let that remark slide by. He could argue against it, but there was a reason he didn't and even why Daisy was here instead of her next contest in Hoenn. She had been like a mother to Green, taking care of the boy and fulfilling the role of embarrassing relative when Oak couldn't. Which was why she was just as hurt as the rest when news about him came in.

Red and Oak's family had always gotten on reasonably well, from his rivalry with Green, to their partnership together, so it was just both of their ways of coping.

Red took a moment to look in a mirror thoughtfully. His armor was gone, leaving only his jacket and a pair of jeans. Slung on his arm was a bag and his red hat was on him. He was the very picture of a high school or college student, if not for the sword that was at his side, a classic knight's sword...

"_Are you going to keep staring at yourself like that the entire time?"_

Red turned around to see Pika tapping his foot against the ground. Red began to turn around in attempt to ignore him but regretted it as Pika began to shock him. "Okay I get it!"

Speaking of Pokemon, on him was a full team. After Red had left, Oak had delivered the pokemon he'd taken to them. The entire affair as marred, though, as no one mentioned what to do with Green's. Red was pretty sure he saw Oak take them to his own place however.

Red's thoughts were stopped as Daisy put an arm on his shoulder. She smiled regretfully at the image of Red in the mirror. "You know, I still remember when you were a kid." She laughed. "One of the most annoying people I've seen. I'm pretty sure you're were more obsessed with asking girls out then in pokemon."

"_And come to think of it, he never got asked out once in his life."_

"Come on! You know double team is banned in ubers!" Red protested.

Daisy laughed but her somber expression returned. "You could ask grandpa not to go. Bring it up in court and mention leave."

"I can't do that." Red responded but not without worry. He'd actually considered that.

"I know." Daisy sighed. "You better get going! Wouldn't want to be late."

"Bye!" Red moved to leave, but turned back to face her. "Thank you. For everything." He hurriedly turned to leave, stopping only to let Pika jump pnt his shoulder behind him before he exited the place that he had done called home. Once, but not for many years...

"Yel! Yel! Where are you? OWWW"

Yellow bolted out of the stupor that she was in and nearly jumped out of her sleeping bag flailing her arms and hurting someone in the process. She nearly bolted then, if not for Blue grabbing her by the arm to stop her from doing just that. "What do you want- I'm cold." She complained.

"But Yel, were leaving today!" Blue exclaimed.

"Come back when I'm not sleepy…" Yellow drifted back to sleep and remained that way for precisely three seconds. That was followed by Blue marching outside the tent to grab a chunk of snow and the act of shoving it down Yellow's back.

"Ahhh!" Yellow jumped up at the sudden impact of a cold feeling. Sensing who did that she turned to Blue. "What was that for?"

Blue patted her on the head condescendingly, or at least that was what it felt like. "You know we leave for Sinnoh today!"

"But I thought that you didn't want to go!"

A sudden scowl appeared on Blue's face. What once was cheerful turned dark as the blackest night, so much so that it gave Yellow the shivers just looking at it. "If I am to suffer, then you and the other must suffer twice as me." Suddenly, her dark presence disappeared and she returned to the cheerful facade she wore. "Come on, the others are waiting again!"

Yellow sighed and regretfully let herself be dragged as Blue took her outside where once again the other were waiting impatiently. Blue dragged Yellow in front of them all, much to Yellow's shame "Alright! I've got Yellow! We can go now!"

"About time!" Gold complained. "I want to check out the school!" He grinned maliciously, "Specifically the girls hehehe- OWWW!"

Silver slowly withdrew his hand from where she had slapped Gold. "Shut up and listen to Blue." Gold reluctantly silence himself, if only to plot how he could get even with the redhead.

Blue, angry that their attentions were not devoted entirely to herself, grabbed both of the boys' ears. "Come on! The plane we got will leave in half an hour with or without us!" She let go of the ears only after spending a few extra seconds to rub the insult in.

"So which plane will we be going on?" Sapphire asked from the shadows.

Blue smiled deviously. "Well originally our plane was supposed to be that public one that's used for the masses-but…"She whipped out a small device from her back pocket. "Koga and I agreed a little trade hehehe…"

Yellow leaned in closer to the device, for it seemed indescript at first, but as she looked close she saw that it was a small radio. A specific radio.

"That's the radio towards that private plane the boss owns!" Sapphire exclaimed pumping her fist. The others were just as excited. The boss's private plane was leant to top officers and was complete with stereo, hot tubs, and surround sound speakers…

Even Yellow was looking forward to staying in that plane, and it looked like the only one who was as serious as ever was Silver, but that was only because he had a suspicion on his mind. Trades with his sister were never good…

And so excited they were, they didn't ask about that information on how Koga traded such a valuable luxury. Something that they'd probably value more than the plane ticket, but Blue couldn't let that out. After all, pictures of the squad in their most embarrassing moments, including Silver and Sapphire bearing in a dress were worth so much…

Red was probably going to kill the rest of his squad. That was if he didn't die before then though…

"Are we there yet?" Lyra called from behind Red. Red shoved away the impulse to acknowledge her. "Just ignore her- just ignore her." He muttered to himself.

"So then, I tried to convince Brock to help Misty get into a dress, but he wouldn't help me! I wonder why?" Ruby chattered on continuously, perhaps ignoring the fact that Red wasn't paying attention. Normally, Ruby wasn't like this, but Red was pretty sure that Green usually took care of when Ruby got into his moods…

_Green_. The word sobered Red and nearly brought on a fresh wave of grief. He didn't want to be going to the school, but unfortunately didn't have a choice in the matter Never mind the fact that he'd gone way past the level that a school could teach. Once eyes have strayed into the embrace of death, there wasn't much that could teach you in a school.

Trying to put the others aside, Red looked out the window to peer at the clouds beckoning below. In the plane he was in, he could stare deep below the earth to the skies that opened up beneath him. It was a pretty sight, but there was much too much on Red's mind to be swayed by it. The others weren't the thing that Red was afraid off. The object of his nerves was a certain Pikachu…

"_Are you paying attention?" _ Red was brought out of his thoughts as Pika slapped him straight on the face. Red yelped and brought up his hand to cover the raw skin, but that didn't stop Pika from slapping him a few times.

"_You're fazing out on me! You letting grief consume you again! Do you want me to get out Lax and have him sleep on you!"_

Red flinched despite not knowing exactly what it was that Pika said. When he made that face and spoke in that tone, the results usually involved massive bodily harm.

Red hated public flights, even if he was conveniently ignoring the fact that they got a private cabin on that plane, it still was annoying to be in close proximity with everyone. The only one who wasn't annoying him was Crystal, but as Red looked to her, he could see that she had problems of her own.

Crystal was nicely trying to pay attention to anything at all, mathematical formulas, battling tip, or even her sisters ramblings, but it didn't help at all. She had her problem and already aware of it. And she hated every moment of it.

She was airsick.

It was hard to believe, but Crystal knew with shame that it was true. Who ever heard of an angel afraid of heights? That would be like saying a Magikarp is the greatest competitive pokemon- never mind the fact what others said about the secret to splash. It was unheard of. It was also aggravating.

Crystal noticed that Red was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, but she ignored it. She'd deal with it own her own. She was self sufficient. She would deal with it by herself and overcome this weakness of her alone like a responsible-

Oh who was she kidding. She was in deep. Crystal reached for a familiar pokeball, strapped to her side where it usually hung. A familiar friend. She released the button and out popped out the massive form of Meganium. Was it going to take up a lot of the cabin space? Probably, but she needed confront. And her starter was the one to do it. Six more hours until they reached Sinnoh. Six more hours...

And that was why Red hated taking public planes.

Whatever Blue was expecting, this wasn't it. She was fully expecting a closed dormitory with a main center house of reasonable quality and size with a few buildings surrounding it for clarity. What she wasn't expecting was a full blown bloody _castle!_

The castle itself was massive. The stone was high quality looking, and despite the technological advances including solar panels that Blue could see around, it looked firmly in the past. Behind the massive building was a path that seemed to go into a dense forest. Blue was reasonably confident there was all sorts of goodies packed into there. Nearby was a massive stadium where Blue could see specks that were people.

"Well" Saphire uttered looking out the plane's windows next to Blue. "Ya sure ya didn't take a wrong turn to some rich guy's dormitory?"

Blue scowled at Sapphire. "You know that I don't make mistakes. This is the place…" She trailed off as she moved in to land. A reasonably close distance away from the school was a town with an airfield, so Blue made sure to pilot the plane towards it. Besides, she didn't think that the school would like it if they landed on their lawns…

After a long boring procedure of checking with the authorities with the town and a lot of complaining from Gold, Blue was finally able to land the plane and make it in. She nonchalantly parked it into the cheapest lot she could find, knowing that by the time that the day was over, the plane would be gone. The boss would see to that, and with luck, Blue would be able to get reparations for the airport losing her plane. A good tidy profit that didn't have to go to the boss. Blue nearly salivated at the thought.

The others were glad to be able to be on land after such a long flight. Gold went to the point of kissing the ground in relief, thought Blue was sure that it was only to aggravate her. She knew perfectly well that Gold was doing this to annoy her, and it would be letting him win if she responded, but that didn't stop her from nudging Silver towards him.

Blue wasn't exactly going to say that she enjoyed it, but it was apparent from the joy in her face as she watched her brother beat Gold up. It was too easy to manipulate those around her. In fact, one of the benefits of this mission was that it allowed her more room to practice her craft against other targets.

As fun as it was though, they really had to get going. Later on that day, there was supposed to be some kind of orientation for the school and Blue wanted to case the place out before that. "Come on!" She yelled to gather their attention. "Let's get going!"

The group reluctantly filed off towards direction of the school. While it was all fun and games now, they still had to be aware of their second objective. There wasn't much information flowing, but their orders were to keep a close eye for Platania and devise a plan. Hopefully, they'd find the girl during the orientation.

Getting off the plane was the easy part. Finding the school was slightly more difficult, but it was hard for Red to miss the massive castle nearby. No, it was once in that they were facing their problem. They were horribly lost.

"Where are we? " Ruby asked looking around the expansive hallways filled with wooden beams across the arches align with round windows. Inside it was an intimidating place.

Lyra answered. "We're somewhere in Sinnoh!" SHe added earnestly.

"That's not helpful!" Ruby complained. Red was with him on this one. It was cold and the drafty castle, despite all the technological items including heating systems that he could see in it.

At the front gate, there had been a girl who had directed them to inside the castle, but the encounter was strange. She was one of the types that liked to plaster herself up with a lot of makeup, and she seemed completely hostile to both Crystal and Lyra. On the other hand, for some reason she was paying an awful amount of attention to Red himself. Had they met somewhere? That was the only reason that made sense. But the directions she gave to Crystal seemed off...

What was stranger was that school seemed empty. There was nobody in it, even though there was some kind of presentation going soon, but for all is life, Re could hardly tell that. There was nobody in there.

"Maybe we've supposed to go somewhere else?" Crystal volunteered after a few minutes of wandering around.

"But the girl said to go in here?" Lyra interrupted.

Crystal nodded. "Yes, but I'm pretty sure we would have seen someone if we continued wandering like this." She stopped and leaned against the wall to find her bearings. "Let's face it. We were conned."

"A freshmen prank perhaps?" Ruby asked fiddling with a pair of needles in his hands. He'd been sewing on the run for the past few minutes.

"But we're not freshmen." That was true. Based on what Oak told them, they had been specifically chosen to enter at different levels. The school had scouted them based on some of the things they've done, and during the job with Oak, they'd been forced to compete in a few works and contests.

Ruby, the youngest in the group, was at the second lowest level (lv. 2) because his excellent work of contests let him skip a level. Crystal was a moderately respected researcher, with a few works with Oak, who to the rest of the world was a high classed professor, and that made her a level three. Lyra, despite her childish demeanor, was an experienced battler. She had competed in multiple tournaments and was a really good battler, perhaps the third best in the squad, only surpassed by her seniors.

Which left Red himself, who was the highest level. Lv. 4 was the highest level a trainer would be expected to go though, only going through more if he was trying to be a gym leader. Based on his multiple battles and superb work in tournaments, many of which he'd won, he had been chosen to go to this level. Along with Green…

It still hurt. Red was pretty sure that the loss would still be with them for a long he couldn't let his grief submerge him. He had to be strong. He had to-

"_You do realize you could have had me or Nana look for somebody half an hour earlier right?"_

Red snapped to attention to his shoulder where Pika was fuming in his shoulder. Around him, the others stopped to look at the mouse. While they couldn't exactly understand him, the gist of it was communicated to them.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Rd broke the silence by cursing under his breath at the lack of strategy. That would have been the smart thing to do, and it definitely irked him that he didn't think of that.

"_Yes this is your reaction. Honestly! What would you do without me!" _Pika muttered to himself before scooting off in the opposite direction of where they had been going. The others all stood in their silence waiting for somebody to move to break it.

Finally, it was Crystal's doing. "You do realize we just trusted a mouse, keyword _mouse_, with no special scenting ability or even a nose better than some of the rest of our team to go to find somebody! How do we expect him to find someone!"

That question was immediately answered as a shockingly large noise was heard from behind them. The sound reminded Red of the many times Pika had discharged a package of volts at him. "He did not…" Red muttered.

"Get back here so I can take your skull and bash it against the wall!"

Like a spring from a pistol Pika went bounding out of the hallway and blew right past Red and the rest. Behind him a boy small enough to be mistaken for an elementary school kid to come around the corner at top speed. Too late, he noticed Red in the way and tried to stop by fiddling with something at his feet. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't fast enough to stop him from colliding with the group.

"OWWW!"

That seemed to be the general consensus as Red struggled to get up. The boy didn't help matters as he began flailing around wildly smacking everyone near him. Many times, Red was hit solidly by a blow or two. Finally, Crystal managed to separate herself from the pile.

"ALRIGHT! STAND AT ATTENTION NOW!"

Faster than a sweeper with choice specs, Lyra, Red and Ruby were up and at attention. You didn't mess with Crystal when she was in this room. When she was like this, she outranked Red in every way.

The only one still on the ground was the child, trying to fiddle with something on his shoes. Angrily, Crystal descended upon him like a dark wraith with a glare so intense, it would have frozen over the kid's heart. She stopped in front of the child and took him in, eventually, the child noticed the sudden visions of terror that came upon him.

"And please explain now!" The words brokered no defense, left no room for argument. There was only what Crystal wanted, a dark humor that she was in, borne of hours of flight and wandering around lost.

The boy clearly looked as if he could sense the mood Crystal was in, but he went along with whatever defense he had. "Look ma'am! That rodent tried to kill me!" He shifted his blond hair from his head. "I'm trying to catch that- Crystal?

Crystal choked at those words, and finally took in the child that had rammed them, too distracted in chewing him up. But now she saw who he was. "Emerald?"

"Crystal ma'am!"

And then to the confusion of all those who were present, Crystal and Emerald hugged there on the spot. They begin talking animatedly, the boy gesturing wildly.

"Alright what is going on here?"

Emerald took a look at the ones trying to figure things out and laughed. "You mean you don't remember? Oh- I get it. No one wants to remember poor Emerald."

Lyra snapped her fingers as recollection hit her. "Of course! The orphanage that Crystal volunteers at! You were that kid who stalked her!"

Emerald immediately began to bluster. "Stalk- that wasn't stalking! That was umm- work shadowing!" He fumbled lamely fiddling with the straps with his weird shoes.

Oh. Red remembered now. Emerald was that boy from all that while ago. Crystal usually volunteered at a nearby orphanage, and Red and the others had been there a few times. Emerald had been annoying, but he had an excuse for his behavior, being bullied for being vertically challenged. If he remembered correctly, Crystal had fixed him up with some high tech shoes.

Red took another look at Emerald's shoes. They were metal contraptions that extended height for Emerald. While it did help him, it usually did look pretty creepy. Not to mention Emerald's personality didn't' help things…

"But what are you doing here?" Crystal asked to Emerald interrupting Red' inner monologue. 'You told me that you got accepted to some high ranking…" She trailed off as realization hit her. "school,"

Emerald smiled. "Yep! Thanks to our help I was able to impress them with my process in battling! I'm a lv. 2, which means that I am surpassing you!" He smiled looking at Crystal looking for approval and admiration for his process.

Lyra broke his illusions though. "Lv. 2? That means you're Crystal and my juniors! Yes!"

"WHAT!"

Crystal laughed. "Yep! I'm a lv. 3, but if your two, then you should be with Ruby!"

"Oh joy." Red sighed. Ruby and Emerald hadn't really gotten along, with one being a control freak, and the other one a bit of a disgusting slob. Things imploded a bit when they were together.

"But what are you doing here? The orientation starts in a few minutes!" Emerald asked.

"What orientation? The girl at the gate told us to go in and look around!" Red said. Emerald looked at him funnily.

"Why would she- wait- girl at the gate… OH COME ON!" Emerald shouted. "Of all the jerks you could have run into, you had to run into Mary? I ought to show her a piece of my mind."

Emerald scowled and nearly strode off, but Crystal grabbed him by the hand. "Orientation?" She whispered harshly to Emerald.

Emerald gulped. "Start of school orientation that begins in five minutes and attendance is mandatory!"

Red cursed. "Where is it and how far are we from it?" He demanded harshly.

"Outside at the stadium! It's a ten minute walk, but I know a shortcut!" Emerald shouted and started off.

And that was why Red was running at top speed again through a massive complex with a time limit. At least they weren't getting shot anymore though…

"If you really want to help me, you big strong men, you'll GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Yellow wished the stadium they were in wasn't so crowded. It was beginning to make her claustrophobic, looking at all the people there. There still was no chaperones or any adults at all visible, which meant of course, that the population of teenagers were doing what they did best. Being annoying.

Beyond all others, Blue had attracted the most stares out of the group. Gold was too busy concentrating on his plot to get vengeance on Silver to pursue his favorite pastime, Sapphire had fangs that she braced against the poor souls who approached her, and Yellow? Well, at least they weren't trying to make an effort to go near her.

Even when they were out of sight, barely able to see the other side of the field, others noticed the girl if not the others. Even the death glares from Silver didn't stop them from staring and wolf whistling, but it was a group of what looked like jocks that provided the big problem of getting in Blue's way. The fatal problem for them.

"But gal! I'm sure you wouldn't mind ditching these posers and joining hands with a real man!" A muscular senior with a jock shirt with the name Brutus on the back said.

"Excuse me! Not a real man! I'm twice the man you are" Gold snapped from his lotting at those lines. His small frame didn't exactly lead himself to their opinions.

"Really shrimp?" Another jock with the name Nick leaned in and glared straight in Gold's eye. Gold gave no ground and stood still. "Now gal you could stay with us or stay with these losers." He pointed them in turn. "The shrimp, uppity girl trying too hard to be strong, the kindergartner, and the dumb redhead- oh wait, the redhead's a _guy!_"

The group of idiots had just insulted Yellow, but all she felt for them was pity. Too bad she couldn't get angry at them, but clearly they were already dead.

Darker than the new moon grew SIlver's expression seemed to gaze into the very soul. Yellow shivered as a silence hushed upon the group as Silver descended upon the jocks like some sort of dark wraith. "Nobody hits on Blue," He growled before smashing Brutus's face into the stairs of the arena. The other jocks were about to hurl themselves into the fight, but Silver wasn't done.

"Do you want to fight me?" Silver growled while his eyes seemed to light up in the dark. Yellow shivered. She'd been through a lot, but it was always Silver that got to her. She hoped the others didn't know, but she knew they probably were just as wary around him.

Perhaps the jocks would have hurled themselves at Silver. Perhaps in the act of trying to keep his cover, Silver wouldn't murder them and blame a serial killer. Perhaps they would have been beaten to near death and jeopardize the mission because of Silver's temper. But that wasn't to be.

"Of course they're not going to attack that boy, right Dia?"

Yellow whipped her head around. Behind them, a girl approached. She was young, but she looked fierce and there was a look in her eyes that brokered no argument. She carried herself well and kept her head high as she marched straight to the jocks and Brutus. Flanking her was two boys who were desperately trying to stop her from picking a fight.

Yellow took a closer look. The boy on her right was blond and wore a flannel shirt with the collar ruffed up. His eyes drew her attention, which were darting wildly all around. At his belt was a few pokeballs, marking him as a trainer, and he was constantly twitching his finger at his side rapidly, as if he had a lot of energy but no way to remove it.

The boy on the right was the opposite. While the blond one seemed hasty, the second one seemed anything but. He had black hair with a red hat, a popular style after a few anime characters. He seemed to take things slow and his eyes were full of worry and constantly trained on the girl.

Brutus, who had taken a beating, stood up. "Look girlie. Get outta my way. I'm a higher year and that makes you have to listen to me. Don't you know who I am?" He scowled nastily and looked to his lackeys for encouragement. He began to talk roughly further on, but nothing of any importance.

The girl just digested this statement, not taking her eyes off the targets of her irritation. She let nothing cross her features . It was so interesting, this clash of wills, that even Silver put off murder to watch.

"You asked me If I knew who you were." The girl said staring straight into Brutus's eyes.

Brutus laughed. "Finally, some recognition for the star of the football team-"

"You asked me who you are and I'll tell you Brutus Cloverleaf son of Donnell Cloverleaf and heir to the hotel franchise. At least you'd be if not for that murder suspicion right?"

Brutus' laughter died off suddenly and his wide eyes darted to her. The girl continued. "It's said three years ago that you murdered that man who was protesting your father's company policies, but that isn't your only transgression is it? I recall shoplifting, sexual assault, and attempted murder are all on your charge. All cleared based on your father's influence.

"But how-"

"Perhaps You'd like me to talk of your lackies next? Maybe their charges of shoplifting on your urges. Or perhaps how Nick took the blame for your assault and attempted murder a few years ago? The only reason you here after all is because your families are rich."

Their faces held utmost expressions of terror. Yellow was doubly impressed and she even saw Blue nod in acknowledgement. Brutus scowled "Who the hell are you to insult me and my father!"

"Silence commoner! I don't care who your father because I don't care! No matter who you are or how much influence your father is, I will tell you that is nothing to who I am or what I give a care or you. You commoners may call me lady, for I will descend on you like some wrathful god if you so much as come near me or trouble me like this again! Now get out of my way so I can sit down and enjoy my presentation!"

They scattered in an instant. The girl spared them no glance, not one for the stares of awe that she'd attracted for her rant. The two boys beside her collapsed in relief, but the girl spared them nothing as she marched off to the top spot of the auditorium, with a special sign stating _reserved. _She sat down cross legged and grabbed a book and ignored the rest of the stares she got for the rest of the presentation.

Meanwhile, Yellow stared at her in open awe. The others were no better. Sure, everyone, (but poor Yellow), could probably decimate them in an instant, but that was _impressive. _

"Dear Giratina she's as scary as Silver!" Gold muttered earning him a blow from SIlver, though he still looked openly impressed.

"And you'd think Lady would at least _try_ to keep a low profile!"Yellow jumped up in fright as she noticed the blond boy behind her staring at Lady.

She instantly blushed in embarrassment for jumping and kept her eyes to the ground in shame as Blue approached the boy. "Low profile? So she is as important as her little rant said she was?" Her tone was curious but there was an edge of eagerness in it.

The boy took no notice of it and answered. "As much as we can figure. We're sorta her bodyguards, but it's not like she needs any because everyone's too scared to try to get near her. I think her father uses us so Lady has someone he rage to talk to and warm up too. She's sorta a vision of terror to everyone else…"

Gold interupted. "Yeah! It's like we found a female Silver! Not that his masculinity was all that prominent to begin with. Hehehe…" Gold chuckled, but Yellow didn't feel sorry for him as Silver began to beat him., through it was something to say of the chaos of the stage that no one cared.

"Ignore the idiot named Gold." Blue said. "His head was dropped on a rock as a child, ands he's had his face ground into a rock since. The name is Blue." She extended her hand in a virtue of friendliness, but Yellow could see hidden motive behind it.

"Pearl, and the one still lying on the ground is Diamond." Pearl talked fast constantly, pointing for alliterative appeal. He pointed to the boy who was still lying on the ground. "He'll need a few minutes to recover. They didn't let us bring any food in with us…"

Blue nodded and continued the conversation. While skillfully done, Yellow could still tell that she was pressing him for information. "And Brutus was it? Are those charges for real?" her eyes revealed the eagerness behind it.

"Oh yes. It was quite a scandal apparently, but nothing was proven because his father's influence. The whole thing was hushed up."

Pearl stretched his arms out and cracked his neck. "Oh well! As difficult as that entire debacle was, hopefully Lady won't get herself into more situations like this. hopefully. By the way where are you sitting?"

Blue looked at him with a look clearly chosen to indicate confusion. "Nearby why?"

Pearl stood up straighter and he seemed to stand taller. "Then why don't you don't come sit with us? Lady wanted to invite you, she saw how you were dealing with these jerks by yourself, the only reason she can't is because of the status quo she has to maintain."

Blue nodded her eyes glittering. "Why not? But won't that hurt Lady's status quo by us staying by her?"

Pearl smiled. 'Normally it would, but you guys aren't as much as nobodies as you would think. You're Blue, the winner from that circuit one year in Johto right? Next year, someone who looked a lot like Gold won. You're all respectable tournament goers and would probably bolster each other's credibility and upstanding-" Pearl blinked. "Now I know I've spent too much time around Lady…" He muttered.

Well that was interesting. Yellow thought as she followed Blue and the others up the steps. As they passed Lady, she said nothing, but she nodded to them and continued reading her book.

"The presentation should start soon. I'm getting so tired of waiting!" Pearl loudly complained. Quietly, Yellow agreed with him.

Which of course meant that something would happen, in this case a cloud of smoke bursting from the battleground in the center of the auditorium.

"What's happening?" Yellow asked as talking rose to a greater height at the smoke. Diamond pointed to the field and spoke for the first time Yellow had heard. "I'm pretty sure the presentation is starting. Look there's a figure on the stage."

Indeed there was. From the smoke a figure rose from the smoke and stopped in the middle of the stage. Everything paused, the chartering and busybodying that had been going on as the smoke cleared, revealing that it was not one but three figures. On the left a tall man with a blue outfit and piercing eyes. The right was a small diminutive man of no remark.

But it was the figure in the middle that gained the most attention. For one, there was the wolf whistling of the idiots that didn't know any better. Dark clothes adorned the woman with bright gold hair, as bright as Yellow's own. She stood tall and unyielding and with a keen eye that seemed to sparkle in wisdom, even as far away that she was.

The diminutive man stepped forward. He seemed pompous and honestly Yellow could come up with nothing to deny that statement. "May I introduce!" He called with a voice that was heightened by some kind of speaker so that it could hit the entirety of the field. The co-headmaster and headmistress!"

"Co-headmasters?" Yellow asked in confusion. Among a few of the others, she saw others shaking their heads in confusion, but only people who seemed to be Lv.1. "Didn't the docum- I mean pamphlets say that it was a singular champion?" She corrected trying to cover for her also giving away information of their illegal wrongdoings.

Lady closed her book thoughtfully. "I believe that the man on the right takes over whenever the champion is called away She is asked that a lot."

Yellow nodded, because now she recognized who it was. She was a legend, for defeating as many leagues that there were, even the Kalos one. She was a world renowned scholar and women who was proving that you could solve runes and kick butt.

Who could forget the face of the woman who was a heroine in a world of the dregs, Cynthia, Champion and scion of Sinnoh?


	8. Cynthia- Part 1

If you were to ask if Yellow was in awe of the lady on the stage, her answer probably would have been be evasive. But if you really pressed for answers, you would find that Yellow's answer would inevitably be yes.

There was a reasoning of course, and that reasoning was that Cynthia was- to put into plainer terms- a **badass.** In a time where more than a large percentage of people were being sexist about being trainers, she had taken those views and expectations, beaten them, spit in their eyes, and grinded them painfully into the ground. _And Yellow was pretty sure that was being literal…_

Cynthia was a renowned champion, perhaps the most well known in the world. Yellow had heard that she had been teaching at a school like this one, but that had been buried underneath all the other historical sites she was uncovering and research being done, and well as remaining champion against all sorts of challengers for who knows how many years.

Yellow's admiration wasn't the only one. Around her, she saw the reluctant acknowledgement of the champion's skills, even rm the usually stubborn Silver and Gold. Cynthia was so strong and _she was teaching here!_

There was a reasoning for what might have been called Yellow's fangirling. Yellow herself had never been strong enough. She wasn't a warrior and couldn't fight as well as she should have. The closest way she had been in killing her enemies was fighting and losing Blue's constant attempts to do something with Yellow, perhaps her desire to see Yellow do more than just sit around and heal them when they got hurt. Like any self respecting demon could heal…

Anyway, as far as Yellow could remember, she had secretly admired Cynthia. Demons would often hold lifes such as gym leaders and members of power to make operations easier and an excuse for being found out of the distortion world. They often brought back news of the strongest ones that humans could offer. Cynthia had stood out in Yellow's mind from the very start however.

Cynthia was strong. Form what Blue had told Yellow, she had trashed each member of the elite four save Bertha when they decided to challenge her en masse right after another. Normally, the rigors of that high level of battling would exhaust a trainer, part of the reason the elite four challenge was so rarely taken. No one had the strength to fight four trainers, then the greatest in the region, but Cynthia had been different. She had defeated them one after another with _no _healing and proved her strength.

She was strong, brave, and everything Yellow wished herself was, and that was why Yellow paid specific attention to Cynthia as the champion began to speak, after waiting for the rest of the last stragglers to come rushing in.

"So I assume that you've come here expecting some boring speech, Am I right?" The sound came from speakers all around the arena, through Yellow could barely see details from the champion. Around her, others were nodding their heads at the bluntness of Cynthia's statement.

Cynthia nodded her head. "While I have been known to ramble the slightest bit on in regards to ruins and legends-"

"Two hours. I asked you if Mesprit and the rest of the lake trio had any aura powers, and you took two hours to explain how and why." That was the tall man in the blue outfit. He stood lax but tall, with his hands in his pockets and an honestly ridiculous hat.

Cynthia sighed. "And that would be my co-headmaster Riley. Apparently he doesn't understand what it means that I was making a speech!"

"But you just said you didn't like speeches!"

"I said I wasn't going to do a boring speech! Never did I specify that I disliked boring speeches!"

The audience stood unsure of themselves as they listened to the two banter back and forth with the familiarity of old friends. Finally, the diminutive man loudly cleared his throat, alerting the two arguing headmasters who shamefully looked to one another then to the waiting crowd. Cynthia blushed though didn't lose her stride. "Yes, the director for the pokemon League is right, we are being sidetracked again."

"Your fault!"

Cynthia looked as if she was about to respond and opened her mouth to flash a comeback, then she shut it and focused her gaze to the crowd. "I'll show him who's the more refined!"

That drew a few laughs from the crowd. From the side of yellow, Blue nodded approvingly. "Well done!" She said to no one in particular.

"What do you mean?" Yellow asked curiously as Cynthia began to talk about some stuff about the founding of the school only a few years back.

Lady answered Yellow's comment, not moving her eyes from Cynthia and absorbing everything the champion said. "The first part, the one where Cynthia acted as if she was normal rather than a lady of her stature. The section with Riley must have been planned. It made a good ethos appeal to start her speech off!"

"Whatcha saying?" Sapphire asked the question that was on Yellow's mind.

Blue answered. "Before that, we all were treating her as some high ranking persona that was way above us. Respect and whatnot. Her appeal just made it so that everyone here sees her as a person not an idol."

"Oh." Yellow nodded. She didn't exactly know what to say regarding that, but if she thought about it, it did make sense. Speech making one-oh-one from what she could understand. She shrugged it off and continued listening to Cynthia.

"While the old hands at this might already know, I believe that I should illuminate why we are meeting here a week before classes start in this dusty Colosseum." Cynthia said letting her eyes wander off to others in the crowd. "It has been my very firm belief that people should be gathered together to make decisions, specifically decisions regarding their futures. No one may choose your future or tell it for you, but the advice and fellowship of those whom you call friend is helpful here."

She paused to gaze at the groups of people around her. "We here believe that our classes should not be shoved down your throats like at other schools that you may remember. Formerly, I remember my own classes as a toddler in a trainer school." She paused as if to think about it. "If I remember correctly, more than anything, I wanted to be a nurse, but for some reason the government decided that we should cover battling instead of pokemon healing and safety at school and I eventually fell in love with the fires of battle."

Her eyes seemed to sparkle in remembrance. "However, other than the precious few mandatory classes we have here, the majority of you schedule will be up to you depending on what you need to become. It's traditional for us to put off picking classes for the year until we are gathered in the auditorium to hear advice from some of the people who actually teach the subject. Located around the coliseum are members of the different classes you might pursue, be it ranger or professor, trainer or contest goer. Due to the fact we have had such a large influx in volunteers lately, so much in fact it could be called suspicious…" She trailed off and stopped seeming to think about something.

Riley smacked her on the head to take her out of her daze. "She does that a lot." He explained to no one in particular.

Cynthia shook herself awake. "As I was saying, we should have enough of them around to talk about what they do and what they teach. They'll hand out devices where you can pick your schedule and learn about the different classes. Is it a completely time wasting process? Yes! But I feel like actually learning from those who teach it is worth it."

In the crowd, men and women began to stand up and wave. Around her, Yellow could see a lot of somewhat influential researchers and contest goers among other people. A lot were moderately famous, others, with a start of surprise, were even gym leaders. Yellow noticed the Lavaridge gym leader Flannery relatively nearby, being mobbed by the people standing to listen to her.

Cynthia waved her hand and the people sat down. "Riley and I originally set this school up with this motive in mind. Be what you want to be. We've been through a lot together, and have been through a lot of tight spots which could have gone easier if we had training in things other than bashing with the strongest attack. We wanted to set things up so others could be trained and be safer in this dangerous world. So go ahead, look around, have some fun, and talk with friends. I'll be setting up some entertainment for you with Riley somewhere else, so treat it like a festival. The world is waiting for you, all you need to do is step out!" With that Cynthia turned around and began marching off the stage followed by Riley and a flummoxed Chairman.

Yellow stood still, trying to absorb and commit the speech to memory. While she didn't know much about speeches, she would do well to keep it in her mind. Well that was the plan, if not for Blue violently grabbing Yellow's shoulder and pulling it and Saphire's.

"Ow! And why?" Yellow asked as Blue began to drag her across the stands. Sapphire was busy trying to restrain herself from biting Blue's hand off. Those fangs weren't just for show.

Blue smirked despite the danger she was in from her lower ranked comrade. "We need to get a sheet and fill it out as soon as possible!" She cried excitedly dragging them to the nearest adult, Flannery in fact, who was busy trying to fend off her fans without directly harming them.

Not an easy task.

"But why?" Yellow said trying to stop from running into anyone or step into someone's way.

Blue's eyes twinkled. "As soon as we finish filling up our classes, the sooner can get to practice robbing and manipulating these people!" She cried regardless to the stares she got from anyone close by.

Yellow sighed and relented in her struggling at Blue's answer. Sapphire on the other hand, just intensified her fighting and subsequent not dismembering her senior. "Why are you making me do this? You know I can't read!"

"Doesn't matter! We need to get going!"

"But I don't want to!"

Blue scowled at Sapphire. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Why would I know? If ya want to do it so badly, you can do it yourself!"

Blue didn't stop. "Then I'll do it! Just let me get it out of the way so I can rob some fools!"

"Fine!" Sapphire ripped Blue's hand off and strode off, probably to try and focus on not killing anyone. As soon as the girl was out of sight, Blue's pace slowed down.

A horrible suspicion filled Yellow's mind. "You did not…"

"Convince her to allow me to have complete control of the entire year's schedule? I think you're being to learn my ways my padawan!"

Yellow sighed but didn't try to remove Blue's arm as the two of them amiably strolled off to fill out their schedules. She'd probably be in whatever classes Blue was in anyway, so she let Blue help her fill out her sheet once they got that from the newly recovered Flannery, who looked like she had gotten restraining orders for the worst of her fans.

"Thanks!" Blue cried behind her towards the gym leader, then snickered. Yellow's expression must have asked the question for her as Blue shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't take her wallet if that' what you're asking. I'm just thinking off letting slip near the other side of the stadium that the super famous gym leader is giving out autographs. Nothing sinister." She then ruined her weak argument by taking Saphire's sheet and holding her pen above it maliciously.

"How do you think Saphire would like taking contest classes for half the semester?" Blue snickered uncontrollably. Yellow's heart sank as she thought of what Sapphire would have to be forced to go through, but not as bad as what she would probably have to deal with, Yellow thought as Blue finished Saphire's sheet and moved on to Yellow's and her own…

"So I get the gym class, as much as I don't look forward to it, but why is the battling one mandatory?" Ruby said as he looked at his pamphlet of the different classes. "I mean, there already is the battling class and tactics for selection!" Near the front of the stage, right next to the battleground and the entrance Ruby complained.

Crystal, who leaning on the bars separating the field from the battleground along with Lyra and Emerald answered. "I'm pretty sure that the mandatory one is more along the lines of a how not to die and kill other people with the fire breathing monsters class."

To the side of her, she had released her Meganium who nodded rapidly. "_From what the professor said, fire types are rather uncontrollable. I know my old friend certainly was, not to mention how Char was super arrogant."_

Lyra picked up her sister's thread. "I think the later ones are for those who want to specialize. Tactics and whatnot for advanced battling for tournament and wild confrontations against the dark arts I'd imagine." At her side her own starter nodded. Blaze, the Typhlosion had been one of the ones Oak had been using to help the youngsters catch their starters, now dozing at Lyra's feet.

"_And I want to say that I resent that comment against fire types! And acknowledge it!" _ He went back to sleep.

"It makes sense, we wouldn't want new trainers hurting each other, but I thought this school was supposed to be well trained people!" Red said from his seat. He didn't sound very excited, but as much as he wanted to stay upbeat, he couldn't. The other's had been able to conceal their grief and look forward to their stay at school, but in that venture Red just couldn't. He was wielding eight of the Kanto gym badges,and he assumed the sinnoh ones would have been just as easily won. He didn't need to know simple tactics of not shooting poison at Steel types.

Crystal frowned. "Come on Red! Be at least a little excited!" She crossed her arms and glared angrily at him, though he did not give an inch.

Lyra jumped in. "Yeah! You should be able to learn some things that you didn't before! I mean, I've got a bunch of Johto badges and I don't know everything!"

They were trying. At least they still were able to. but Red just didn't see the point anymore. "But I don't need to know how to MLA cite a paper. I've battled and done well enough on my own."

"You know kid, from that attitude I'd think that you weren't interested in learning from this school of mine!"

Red spun around and nearly lost his balance as he saw Cynthia, _the _Cynthia leaning on the rails right next to him. Around him, he could tell that the others hadn't seen her sneaking up from the way the majority of them fell of the bars in shock.

"But I thought you were setting up entertainment with Roxie in the secret basement underneath your battle ground!" Lyra asked as she picked herself up from Blaze's back.

Cynthia looked towards the girl in interest. " In a way I am. I'm setting up some entertainment by other means, But how did you know that we had a secret room and we scheduled Roxie to play with us?" There was no hostility in the question, only playful interest,.

"Umm-" Lyra gulped. "I don't know. Certainly I couldn't have located the blueprints while doing research for this school, and I certainly couldn't have been keeping tabs on Roxy's usual rock schedule and noticed the discrepancy in her normal playtimes and put the pieces together!"

Cynthia smiled and offered a hand to Lyra, who gratefully took it and picked herself up. "Hm, then it certainly can not have been that highly praisable tactic that you used, though why you hypothetically had a copy of blueprints never released to the public I won't ask."

Dear Arceus, she was good. Red didn't' want to think what would happen if Lyra kept talking. Probably end up revealing that they lived in a city hidden from geographical surveys and maps, went on deadly missions, and yes were magic flying angels, could you please get the straitjackets! So he leapt on the momentum as well as he could. Green always did it better.

"But what kind of entertainment are you looking for out here?" He asked, hoping to stop Lyra's inability to lie. He saw Crystal dragging Lyra out of sight as soon as Cynthia turned her attention to him. He felt her eyes settle on him and gulped. She did have a fearsome reputation, regardless of what Red's views on strength was.

Her eyes seemed to pierce into him for a second, with a mild scientific interest that Red could have sworn that Green wielded regularly. "You see, I was ready to begin my speech when I saw a few latecomers coming in."

"Sounds like us." Ruby said. They had been late and barely able to make it.

Cynthia laughed. "You know you are all really bad at trying to hide things right? I'm sorry- I could be subtle, but you seriously need to get better at avoiding questions." She knew they were hiding something.

Of course she knew. What would they do-

"But I won't pursue." Cynthia interrupted Red's thoughts. "I don't need to know what you and the gang do in your free time, even if you assume we don't know you all work together and know each other. No I'm more interested in you." She pointed to Red.

"M-me why?" Red asked. The others were panicking behind Cynthia.

"Yep. It turns out that Roxie is having some technical difficulties in her backstage, so I decided that a battle would fill the time. That speech was more or less off the cuff. I was going to demonstrate against a gym leader, but then I recognized your group."

"Their group?" Emerald spoke up from the bars slightly less in awe of the champion due to having a year's experience. "Why them and why would you recognize them?"

Cynthia pointed to Lyra. "She earned eight gym badges in Johto and didn't compete in the tournament last year because of bad timing." She pointed to Crystal, Ruby, then Red. "She's starting to get a renowned name in research. I've read her work in capturing and the pokedex with Old Oak. He's a contester who did well enough to make it to finals in the contesting cup. And Red won the tournament in Kanto two years back and balked from the elite four challenge because of family matters."

Red gulped. SHe was right. And in a way, you could count fighting terrorists who kidnapped Daisy and his mother during one of their contests, family matters. "But why would you want me?" Red asked.

Cynthia looked at him in the eyes. "As I've said, Roxie is having technical difficulties. Someone must have messed with our systems when she and the band were paying attention to our speeches. I'm actually going to have to investigate that…" She trailed off and started muttering to herself about surveillance. Red stood awkwardly for a moment waiting, as CYNthia realize what she had done. "I trailed off again didn't I?

"Uh yeah."

"Got to stop doing that." Cynthia regained her composure. "Anyway, I thought a battle would prove to be ample entertainment until Riley finally gives up trying to fiddle with technology beyond his capabilities and calls a technician."

Red had a more than vague idea of where this was going. "You can't possibly mean…"

Cynthia laughed. "You say that you don't think that this school can teach you anything? Well since I beg to differ, let's puts our mouths on actions not words. Single combat, using our trump cards, and go all out. When I win, you can find that we have a bit to teach you."

"When? Not even giving me a chance of doubt?" Red said.

"Then you're in?" At Red's careful nod, she smirked. "And yes. I've been champion for a while now. I think I can handle a little boy." She strode off, waving behind her and exiting to the entrance tunnel.

Only when she was out of sight did the ramifications of what Red did hit them. Plus Crystal's act of striding up to him and slapping him full on in the head.

"OW! What was that for?" He turned around to see a practically _furious_ Crystal. If she started breathing fire, it wouldn't look out of place.

She slapped him again. "Let me repeat these words to all of you. We were supposed to be keeping a low profile. Low- pro-fi-le!" She empathized the last words to show her fury. "We were not to get challenged by champions in front of the entire school!"

Red understood her. He really did and understood exactly why she was letting herself get out of hand. But only now was Red finally realizing what he did. "Did I just..."

Crystal sighed. "Exactly. But you can't back out now. Cynthia's probably already on the way to the stage to announce the entertainment." She paused. "I realize that it would be useless to convince you to not show off, but at last don't try to have wings burst out of you or something of that like. I'm not sure mind wiping technology is that advanced yet."

Red looked out to theaters and saw that Cynthia had arrived on the stage and was beginning to speak. "This isn't going to end well is it?"

"_No it's not!"_ Pika said. "_Just be thankful you aren't the one being pounded by her uber gods._" He didn't doubt that he was the one being sent out. What he did doubt though, was if he'd be able to heal after the beating he'd inevitably take. This wasn't going to end well...

**Devious cliffhanger is devious! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**


	9. Cynthia- Part 2

**Warning- Large Chapter**

It was almost too easy. Just a few more seconds and she'd be able to make it. It'd be a clean run, no one would know any better, and she could have so much fun with it-

"Blue! Yellow! Get over here now! I think somethang's happening!"

Blue cursed as Saphire's loud voice carried over from the stands. Not expecting it, she'd lost her balance and lost her precocious chance. Blue was able to just straighten herself up as a boy turned to her. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yep!" While projecting outside she was happy, but internally she was anything but. She was so close! Not just a normal boy either, no that would be insulting. This was Falkner, the boy who was next in line for a gym. If she had been able to grab his wallet and stuff from the observant Falkner, she could have planted it on Someone else, and so much shipping would have happened!

"Blue! I see ya! Get over here now!"

Blue sighed and regretfully made her way to where Saphire was waiting impatiently at the stands. In the roughly half an hour since Cynthia's speech, not much had happened. A good majority of people had finished their lesson plans early, and were just waiting around for Cynthia's entertainment was going to be. From what she had gathered, Cynthia usually arranged some interesting things, from visits from other champions, and exhibition matches between gym leaders…

Diamond shot Blue a comforting glance as she sat down next to the pumped up Sapphire and Pearl. "They've been so excited because that chairman person has said that Cynthia would be along on a few minutes."

Blue honestly hadn't noticed that man, then figured it possible could be a good thing. He seemed a bit dull and boring, just managing about increasing efficiency of battling and other technical terms. She nearly hadn't noticed he was on the stage. She'd seen some of the other chairmen before as well. Most of them were somewhat efficient. This one just seemed like a bad egg.

"Why are you so excited? We can't see them anyway!" That was one of the drawbacks of the personnel row. You would think a reserved row would have a good line of sight, but it was hard to see certain sides of the field, only the middle. Hopefully, there would be no need to see anything from here.

Sapphire looked hurt. "Ya know that Cynthia is one of the strongest champs there are. If she sets up a battle, I could learn a lot."

Pearl nodded his head. "I was able to see one of her battle's in person with my father. I learned a whole lot from it!"

Lady, who was still nose deep in her book, and for all the world looking as if she hadn't invited anyone to sit with her row in the first place spoke. "She's starting. Silence please." She put down her book and Blue sat next to her and Yellow and eagerly turned her attention to the field. While Lady was cold and harsh, she seemed a solid person, only trapped by whatever her status gave her. Blue liked that. There was something about her though… something familiar…

On the field, Blue noticed Cynthia come out of the elevator platform that led from the secret room underneath the battleground. Blue hadn't _meant_ to read the blueprints for the place, but Koga had a copy just sitting there on his desk back in camp just sitting there...

Cynthia fiddled with her microphone for a second. "Testing. Can everyone hear me?" The sound boomed out around the entire arena and up into the stands. At a nod from the pompous chairman, she continued. "Well as you know, we were planning some entertainment, but due to some mysterious technical difficulties, we are going to have to postpone it."

At that, a good chunk of the crowd roared in dismay, only staying because of Cynthia's planned entertainment. Cynthia held up a hand though, and everything was silenced. She continued. "However, I was able to procure some entertainment more up to this areana's style. How does everybody feel about a battle perchance?" Blue was pretty sure Cynthia winked as the crowd roared its approval.

Cynthia smiled visibly. "Since this battle was a bit short notice, I was unable to find anyone willing or ready to fight or considerable stature, so it was decided that I may perhaps participate?" Well whoever was going to fight her was doomed. Gym leaders trembled whenever Cynthia felt the nostalgia of reliving her glory days as a rookie and challenging the gyms at full strength. Blue was reasonably confident that even _she _would lose to this titan. Who would be able to stand against her?

"Then may my opponent come to the field please?" Cynthia asked with her eyes seeming to sparkle.

And in the stands, Red gulped as he started towards the field…

* * *

Normally, a battle like this would have excited Red, and yes, he did feel that. But normally, a battle of this magnitude would have taken place in the proper time, not when they were supposed to be guarding a high profile target whom they hadn't even _found _yet. Not to mention that their picture of her was from a rather young age, so they couldn't even go off of that!

But first things first, over the mission, he had to put the immediate problem first. Red ignored the whispering that started as he walked onto the field and onto the battleground. He idly tested the ground. Firmly packed, so there was little chance of digging. Or perhaps there was, if the right conditions were given...

Cynthia smiled, calculating his movements. With a clap of her hands and some fine work by engineering, on opposite sides of the arena two battle boxes arose. They were heavily armored, but Red could see that he could work with them. They were similar to the one she had faced during his tournament run. He started up the steps silently. This was no grunt battle. He had to be serious, but that didn't stop him from breaking out in the smallest smile. Blowing his cover or not, this would be good…

* * *

The whispering of confusion had grown as the challenger mounted the steps. They didn't exactly anticipate some boy trying to fight the champ. Blue couldn't see the boy well enough to identify him, but she still doubted if he'd be able to stand even seconds. What was Cynthia thinking?

"He seems familiar…" Lady said, daintily (as fitted one of her apparent station) digging around in her pack before bringing out a pair of binoculars. Smart idea. "Too familiar…"

"Maybe he'll get multiple pokemon out at once?" Yellow shyly suggested. Blue bit her thumb. That didn't seem Cynthia's style. There was no need to prove that she was strong by beating up some kid. They already knew what she could do.

Suddenly, Lady flinched. It was the slightest of motions, but from the girl who had perfect posture and no degrading, it was all telling. "Pearl look at him now!"

Pearl hastily grabbed the binoculars. He peered into them for a second and stared, before flinching, Quite visibly. "No way!" He said. He looked closer. "Look Lady! It's the boy who swept the Kanto league three years ago!"

The boy who swept the league? Blue looked closer but couldn't see anything. She didn't know his face but a bit of his reputation. She wasn't able to compete due to a mission, but from what she heard, that boy and another had swept the league nearly without loss before fighting a bitter battle with one another. Everyone had high expectations for the boy before he claimed a family emergency and disappeared. But he was back…

Apparently, a few others had realized this and started murmuring to one another, louder than ever. It seemed this battle would be interesting after all. Blue leaned back as Cynthia began to speak…

* * *

The ground is firm, but not overly so. That told Red that something could be done from it. Since it was a battleground, then their would be no minerals or any metal to distract from battles. That could be useful. What else was there? Now Red was no brilliant strategist. That would have been Green, but over the years he'd been able to pick up a few things from his friend.

"_The sky. Get Cynthia to tell you what the air currents are like!" _With great gesturing to the sky, Pika made his intent clear.

"Are you ready?" Cynthia called out, with her microphone off. It was better to not let the audience hear their close up thoughts just then. Inside the battle box, there wasa wiring that allowed each other's words to get to the other. Good ole mike systems. "Our five-mon Alakazam team is ready for blocking any damage to the crowd."

"A minute. Mind telling me what you know about the weather? I don't want it to hail and wreck my strategy." Red phrased it in a way that hopefully threw off Cynthia. She'd be thinking he'd want hail, and since it was in Sinnoh, hail in fall wasn't uncommon.

Cynthia paused for a second and began talking in another earpiece, though where she got them all, Red didn't know. "Let's see- ah- there's some slight wind patterns that may lead to thunderstorms, but it's otherwise clear for now."

Red smirked. Thunderstorms suspected? His chances just got better. "One more question. Any restrictions on items?"

"Only that you don't give your Pikachu a bomb or something like that." She chuckled. "In fact, since it's unfair that I know who you're leading with, you might as well be able to take a few. Just don't be overly excessive."

So what defined over excessive? Well, a younger Red might have piled on every single item onto Pika (leading to having his butt nearly roasted by the magmar they were fighting), but now he knew only a few would be useful. But which ones?

A stray thought crossed his mind as he tapped the metal box he was in. He didn't have it on him, but if he sent a text on his dex to Crystal she could give it to him. A bracelet of certain _magnetic _quality. The ground might be cleared, but the boxes protecting them weren't. That coupled with Pika's light ball and perhaps a berry…

"Go ahead and start explaining the terms. I've got to have a friend send me an item." Thank Bill for pcs and dexes that could export items...

* * *

"Our match will be with one pokemon each, presumably our aces and strongest." Cynthia said over the intercom. Blue sat up in interest. A small match with their aces could be interesting. She knew about Cynthia's probable choice, but about the boy's?

"From what I can recall, the boy's ace should be his Pikachu." Lady said not darting her eyes from the battleground. When Blue sat up in interest at that, Lady continued, "Your face was different from what it's been prior. I can read faces well enough. You didn't cover yourself that time."

That didn't explain exactly how she could understand that, but Blue was impressed. Usually, it took someone very observant to tell things like that. Usually it was Koga or the boss- and that boy…

Honestly, she had forgotten about Green. She was too busy prepping for their mission to recall checking the bug she planted on him. She'd have to ask what Silvy did with him after the fight...

"Do you think he knows about Cynthia's ace?" She asked hoping to test what this "Lady" could do.

Lady thought about it for a moment. "I'd normally say yes but… he's from Kanto and from what I recall, whenever someone sent out a pokemon from another region, he'd always be surprised. He'd beat it afterwards, but be greatly surprised."

Blue thought about it. "That could lead him to trouble here. If you're right about him leading with a Pikachu, then he's _not_ going to like what Cynthia has in store." From what she heard about this boy, this fight could prove to be very _interesting._

Blue probably would have started cackling maniacally right then and there, if not for the fact it probably wouldn't look too well to the people whose bench they were borrowing…

* * *

"He wants the bracelet? But that must mean that he's planning… clever of him." Crystal muttered to herself as she paced along the steps. She even ignored the stares she got from those around her as she continued. "Does he remember what she's using? From what I can recall, her main one could be her Milotic, no- maybe the Lucario?" A cold sensation unexpectedly hit her, and Crystal froze in place for a second at the cold sensation before whirling around to see Lyra standing unabashed with a hand on her hip next to her Azumarill.

"And that's for being too serious about everything. Now don't you make me have to soak you again!" Lyra said. "Red's still waiting for the bracelet and the berries, so hurry up!"

She must have been too distracted from trying to find out what Red was doing to actually send the items! Thankfully it shouldn't take too long, and Cynthia was still explaining the nuances of the match. Crystal grabbed her dex and grabbed the battle items she had found. She phoned Red's dex.

"You there Red?" She asked as she began the transfer process.

"Yeah. What do you need?"

"I just remembered what Cynthia will lead with."

Red immediately seemed to be more interested, his voice growing louder. "What?"

Crystal hesitated for a second. "I believe that it's a Garchomp!"

That big moment which Crystal actually remembered what Red was facing was sweet. She was able to help Red, which would lead him to hopefully not bluff away and blow their cover. Of course it was ruined by his next statement.

"What's a Garchomp?"

Those who were nearby were taken by surprise when Crystal began beating her head against the pipes. It as the only way to get rid of the stupidity that her squad leader occasionally had, by channeling the spirit of Green. Of course, when she thought of him, she only got more depressed…

* * *

"Are you ready?" Cynthia asked. Her microphone was switched back on, for now that the preliminary strategizing was done, it would be boring for the audience to not here the trainers orders.

"Yes!" Red called back. Was he scared of blowing his cover? Yes, of course he was. He was also psyched beyond belief. To think that he'd be able to fight a champion, it was mind boggling. Even more so was what he'd be feeling when he won.

"Don't count me out yet!" Cynthia laughed lightly. "We'll see what you feel when we start!" Other than the fact that _another _person had been able to perfectly guess his thoughts, Red was ready.

"Pika. You know the plan right?" Pika nodded. He was ready to rumble. It didn't matter what Cynthia was going to send out, even if fighting a ground type would be annoying.

"_Let's roll!" _

A referee had stepped to the side of the field. The chairman of the pokemon association held a little white lag in his diminutive hands and was waving it rapidly. "As you know the rules, I feel almost ready to begin, but perhaps we should in detail discuss the rules, attachments, and other nuances of this battle!"

"Get on with it!" Riley had come back and began to stride with his pace unbroken towards the chairman. "No, if you do it, we'll be here forever. I'll do it!" He turned his eyes to the audience. "It will be a one on one match. Items are allowed and anything short of homicide is legal. Begin."

"Pika go!" Red threw out his arm and Pika bolted onto the field, his cheek pouches sparking with electricity. Cynthia regarded him for a moment with a curt nod before continuing.

"Garchomp!" She called out and threw a black and gold ball onto the field. Out of the ball came a massive bipedal dragon. It was similar to a Sharpedo, if they walked on land and were on steroids. Two fins, normally suited for digging in the dirt flashed menacingly. Red gulped as he saw the shine on them. Those were probably going to cut painfully.

It was time to begin. A electric type that wasn't fully evolved vs. a fully evolved uber trained by a champion?

This was going to be fun…

* * *

""Pika! Now!" At those words, Pika flung himself to the side as fast as he could. Just in time too, because the Garchomp hurled himself where he had been with a shining purple tail. It missed him, but crushed the ground, leaving a massive hole into the ground. Pika didn't hesitate and used the opportunity to get some distance. He glanced at the hole. Against a creature of that strength, if he had one good hit, he was done.

Red clearly saw it too. Pika could tell that his mind was churning out ways to deal with it. Meanwhile, Pika hurled himself out of the way once again to avoid a second DragonTail.

His bracelet on his arm glittered in the moderate sun. His light ball was also shining on the necklace that it hung from, but Pika paid it no mind. He didn't need the bracelet yet, and the light ball was a passive ability. He wiped the sweat away. It felt like he had been fighting for minutes. That exchange had lasted seconds.

"Garchomp, use the earth!"

Where had Pika heard of that before? Using the earth… earthquake. The Garchomp knew _earthquake!_ Luckily, he had a counter to it. The dragon struck its razor fins into the earth and began to just tear it apart. An attack like that would be the equivalent to hitting a legendary with a mountain. Too bad Pika was already on its head.

"_Can't catch me!"_ Pika cried,and just for effect Thunder Shocked him. It didn't do any damage, but it served its purpose to annoy the dragon..

And that was when the massive stones ripped from the earth and came hurtling towards Pika.

"_Oh, Stone edge. That makes sense TOTALLY!'"_ There wasn't enough room to dodge. Was he literally down so soon in the fight?

"The bracelet! Now!" Red called out from his box. His fierce eyes were obscured by his hat, but Pika could barely see them shining in fierceness. Metaphorically.

Well it was time to see if Red's crazy plan would work. In the split second before the stones hit him, Pika hit the magnetic bracelet and found himself unable to move trapped in the air.

Cynthia's Garchomp and his stone edge was moving fast, but the magnetic bracelet was no mere trinket. Technically, it was a angelic treasure, but one that had been lost for awhile until Crystal had recovered it during a trip to the ruin of Alph.

It was strongly attracted to metal, working like an immensely strong magnet. It was originally used wrapped around the head of a ballista bolt. It would be used to fire at enemies in armor and be attracted to them. Then, due to the strength of the magnet, it would target other heavily armored targets and strike them down, injuring many before slowing down.

Only a few of them had been made, but they were the reason that many of the Angel's foes had switched from heavy metal armor to leather or none at all. Even Angels had kicked most of their heavy metal, through a few still had some, like Red's battle set at home. The bracelet was a rarest of finds. This one's purpose had been slightly adjusted of course.

Pika found himself hurtling through the air faster than anything around him, including the massive stones that the Garchomp was forced to avoid. It worked! He could hardly believe that Red's dumb plan had worked, but it really did!

And that was when he hit the metal cage on the opposite side of the field at high speeds...

* * *

Red flinched as he saw Pika get slammed into the metal cage on the opposite side of the field. He could see him struggle to get up and eventually succeed. "It worked!"

"Impressive. You probably had some kind of item with magnetic capabilities to pull that off." Cynthia said impressed. "May I see it afterwards?"

Oh. She wanted to see the highly magical item that broke physics. And she was a heavy duty scientist who would not be deterred by the simple explanation of advanced science. In fact, she was probably designing items with these kinds of sciences! He'd have to cross that bridge later though. "Maybe after the match."

Red's thoughts turned back to the match. Things were proceeding the same way those first few seconds had been. Pika dodging and keeping the advantage while whittling down the Garchomp's hp, but it wasn't enough. The scratch damage wasn't doing anything, and if he got one hit in, it was over!

What could he do? Pika didn't know grass knot, which would have been useful, and there were few opening for the few fighting moves he knew. If that Garchomp hit, it was over. One hit.

Just one hit… Red's eyes snapped wide open. That was it! It would take time to build up his final play, but this was it!"

"Pika! Use cloning tatic! The battleground is big enough for it!" Red didn't have the room to sit back, but he would if he could. Cynthia was going down.

* * *

"_Cloning tatic huh. Expecting me to be a miracle worker and pull that off!" _

Other than his words though, Pika fully supported that plan. He'd probably slip up sometime or later, he thought as he dodged a slicing attack form the fins of the Garchomp. This high level battling was getting on his nerves anyway. He could fight without Red, and that generally unnerved his opponents, but rarely had e ever been on the receiving end. Most of the moves were being left to the fighters jurisdiction.

First, to pull it off, he'd need some room, and to do that he'd need to put Garchomp off guard…

On a hunch, Pika threw himself hard to the ground. Garchomp followed his sudden change in tactics by jumping up and aiming to stop on him, but Pika rolled the moment he touched the ground and kicked off with his tail, gaining him airtime. Tucking his tail in, he rolled and brought himself facing forward, while his arm began to flash with a blaze of energy. Tapping into the lightball's energy that was on his neck, he brought his arm down.

"_Brick Break!" _

Garchomp fell his knees for the barest of seconds, but it was just enough. Pika was able to distance himself far enough away from him not to be worried by any retaliatory attacks. Now for the show.

Cloning tatic. It was a strategy that Green had originally devised for Pika during a time when the two boys were trading off with training their pokemon to give themselves variety. The first part was very simple. Pika concentrated just on himself, focusing on his perceptions of the world. Digging deep, he found it and expanded power into his mind and perception, in other words, he made it so that he was able to experience the world slower and react quicker. Agility was a fun little boost to help the rest of the plan.

Garchomp was up by now and dragon rushed straight towards Pika, but he ignored it and focused on his speed. Pulling it off with the speed given form agility, it didn't take much time for him to gain energy for his double team.

* * *

Garchomp rushed straight towards the original Pika, but that Pika seemed to flash suddenly, and around him, multiple Pikachus arose all following the same movements. The Pikachu that was the original had appeared was struck by the mighty dragon rush, but disappeared, revealing a clone.

"Why is it always double team…" Cynthia muttered to herself.

"Hey! You said anything was allowed! Just cause you forgot to follow uber rules for competitive battling doesn't mean you can change it now!" Red yelled back filled with joy. It was working.

"True. Which is why we're solving this easily. You forgot about the sun. Garchomp, the real one is at six- oclock! The only one with a shadow!"

Red tried to conceal his smile. Cloning tactic had two parts, plus the second directive code that he had sent Pika. But still, Cynthia was not to be underestimated. It took less than a second to notice the shadow.

Garchomp rushed the Pikachu that was at 6:00, who tried to dodge, but failed from Garchomp's speed with dragon rush. He was flung backwards and Garchomp roared triumphantly. Cynthia narrowed her eyes. "Something seemed wrong" could be read from her eyes. "Get out of there!"

That was when the double team clones charged the Garchomp directly, instead of disappearing. Garchomp knew that clones couldn't hurt him, which was why he was taken by surprise when multiple renditions of brick break struck him where he stood, causing him to fly back a few feet.

"That shouldn't have worked form double team unless, Garchomp! The one with the shadow was subsitute! I forgot, the energy taking the form would have been enough to create a body that could cast a shadow!" She muttered the last part to herself. "He dispersed more substitutes while you struck his first one!"

Red smirked. "And now it's endgame. Wonder how losing to a kid will convince others of your strength!" At his words, the first drop of rain fell from the sky and struc Garchomp. In moments, it was beginning to downpour, thanks to the weather patterns that would develop into thunderstorms. Producing a Raindance had been easy. "What are you doing next, because I can hear your defeat coming!"

Cynthia closed her eyes. The rain around her was striking the boxes, the Alakazams had begun to ward the audience from it, but it didn't matter. They were spellbound. Red was triumphant. he did it. A few seconds and he'd have beaten the champion! That was when he experienced the last thing he expected to hear.

Cynthia laughing caused everyone to become confused. It was loud and joyful, despite the predicament she was in. Surrounded and injured, she beamed as bright as if the fires of battle had just lit under her.

"I expected a lot, but this is impressive. I just have to play for real now!" She said and flung her hands at challenge to Red, whose confidence was beginning to crack. "So let's play Red. I'm not holding anything back now!"

* * *

Now this was what Cynthia had wanted. She had heard a lot about the boy from what she had gathered, but had hardly believed it. But this was real, and more so, this was fun. It had been ages since she'd been challenged for real, and so she had designed this challenge at that last second thanks to the opportunity of the machinery breaking. She originally planned to wait til later, but thanks to Roxie's mishap, she could challenge him full strength now. She had even challenged with Garchomp, a mon with type advantage, to inspire the kid. She knew he was good now, which meant it was time to restore faith of herself…

She opened her eyes. Garchomp had been on the defensive thanks to the substitutes on the battlefield, fearing to strike clones in case they were double teams and the substitutes could strike her back. It was time to take back command.

"Take the clone of the far left with rock tomb!" She called out. Garchomp nodded and avoided a clone that leapt towards him. Bringing his claws together, he used his energy to conjure a blast of rocks that fired off at the clone. Just as she expected, it was a substitute charging a strong attack, and it was quickly halted.

She cast her eyes out. There were no clones seeming to charge strong attacks, only using the scratch damage that was beginning to take its toll. Red was a brilliant battler, but cocky, and that would be his downfall.

"Garchomp, use the earth!" She ordered using the code word empathizing the _earth _part.

She could see Red smirk. "Stone edge won't help here!" He boasted. He snapped his fingers and the clones began to take evasive maneuvers, meanwhile, a set of them rushing to hit Garchomp while he took the charge time to use the attack. He assumed that she wouldn't use the rocks to strike her own mon, which was partially true.

Garchomp plunged his arms into the ground once again, but this time his stance was different. Cynthia knew that Red would probably notice the difference, but it was raining, which would obscure vision. He wouldn't be able to react in time. Which was exactly what she wanted. Red thought he had her figured out, but he was wrong. She was no one trick princess, and after using her code word to trick someone into thinking earthquake was Stone Edge, she wouldn't let them get comfortable...

"DO IT NOW!"

* * *

At Cynthia's syllables, Garchomp activated his attack. Red smirked, but something seemed- off… It didn't seem to be a stone edge attack. t was almost as if- no- no- no- not when Pika had followed his instructions in the code to dig down.

"PIKA USE YOUR BERRY AND BRACELET NOW!" He roared in dismay as Garchomp _simply _picked up and flipped the earth. The mere strength of it, Red duked for cover and nearly prayed as what seemed like a massive wave of earth was picked up from the battleground and hurled towards the other side of the field. He braced himself and watched as the team of Alakazam's teleported to eh side of the stands were and braced it with a massive barrier. Red closed his eyes and tried to ignore the clone Pikas' cry of pain as they were destroyed.

The massive landslide stuck against the clones and swept them aside instantly, the wave continued on, and only the box stopped Red from being injured. It went across the battlefield until it struck the barrier. It abated and slammed the ground, but Red was sure multiple Alakazams fell from exhaustion.

After what seemed like forever, Red picked himself up. The boy had braced himself, but not the battlefield, which was destroyed. A good ten feet of soil had been stripped and used in the lanside. Red was sure it would take forever to clean it up. On the opposite side of the field, Garchomp stood triumphantly with no Pikas in sight. He had one last chance though. Just one chance.

When he had ordered the cloning attack, the second part had been a code for Pika to go underground. When Cynthia had begun her attack and and Red had yelled his orders, he had one hope. If Pika had been underground close to Cynthia, then he wouldn't have been caught in the landslide, only the aftershocks, which he may survive with the berry he had eaten, one that reduced ground type moves. The bracelet would have brought him to Cynthia's box. If he was on Red's side of the field, they lost.

"Garchomp- good job with that earthquake. Its almost over. Keep on guard. This is the endgame."

That was an _earthquake_? Red was sure that it was some kind of special move that she had whipped up for the sole purpose of trolling everyone who fought her,. That would explain the codenames. Btw if that was just an earthquake, then they might be in trouble.

Red's endgame consisted of one last ditch plan. Most thought that Ground types were perfectly immune to electricity, and to a point, they were. Science was in play here however. Ground conducted electricity, and the only reason ground types were immune was because the ground would usually cover a greater amount of area, especially if they were anchored to it. Water types were weak to electricity because water conducted it, but generally, a lot of water would be needed to diffuse the power and the center of the bolt would still hurt. Red had learned that from Green.

If he was able to get Garchomp off the ground, then he would be able to override the natural immunity to electricity and really let loose. But it all depended on if Pika had the strength left, or even was conscious at all.

The battle ground was thoroughly wrecked, yet at the same time, eerily silent. It was off putting, not knowing where Pika was. Garchomp bean to stride back and forth, dragging its claws and such around in the ground impatiently. Red's heart was about to burst with the anticipation. If Pika was up, Garchomp would be waiting to slap him aside…

Unexpectedly, a cascade of dirt arose from Cynthia's untouched side of the field. Garchomp nearly rushed off to attack, but Cynthia held up her hand. "Wait. Something isn't

right!" She closed her eyes and looked as if she was trying to listen to something.

From the cascade of dirt, what looked like a Pikachu began to burst through, yet Cynthia made no move to counter him. Red was unsettled. Everything was up to Pika now, he couldn't have any effect.

When the Pikachu was nearly out of the dirt, Cynthia's eyes snapped pen. "Behind you now!"

Garchomp whirled around and brought his claws forward in a vicious arc. out the dirt, a second Pika burst out of the dirt and straight into the Garchomp's attack. It didn't end well, and Pika flew backwards straight into the metal booth Red was crouching behind.

"I knew it! Clever, using a substitute to distract us from the real one!" Cynthia triumphantly said. Garchomp rose his claws above his head and roared triumphantly.

And that was when the first Pikachu slammed into Garchomp at full speed…

"_Hey! I guess you could say that Garchomp is good at being such a __**dragging **__like guy" _Pika made his pun which Garchomp facepalmed as it made its way back up from the ground.

Cynthia's eyes flashed to the second Pika, which had disappeared. "You read me didn't you? Knowing that I'd expect a substitute as a decoy so tricking me to attacking the wrong one. Well done!"

Pika folded his arms together and smirked at both the dragon and champion. " _Let's get back to the good stuff. What do you say we finish this now?"_

Red's thoughts began to churn. A quick look at his dex confirmed it. Pika had nothing left hp wise. His berry had just been enough to survive the aftershocks, and that had been his last substitute. He needed to engage his last play now, or all would be lost.

As it turned out, Pika had it covered. Without so much as a twitch to betray his position, he summoned a massive bolt of lighting, directing from the skies. Garchomp noticed it at the last second, and out of reflexes, jumped to the side.

That was when Pika rushed forward and grabbed Garchomp around the sides. Muscles straining with all of their worth, Pika picked up Garchomp and spun him around throwing him up into the air. "_Who says Pikachus can't learn Seismic Toss? Cause I can!"_

Red jumped back in. "Pika now!" At his command, Pika closed his eyes and summoned all of the energy from his light ball and remaining strength. Bolts of lightning formed all around him, dancing across the scarred battleground before fading off. This was all he got.

"Garchomp! Reorient yourself and get ready! Full power dragon dance now!" Cynthia called out. Garchomp did as she wished, and bursts of energy expelled from the dragon as it charged up. It's upward movement had halted, and it began to fall to the ground, head first and ready to move or use any attacks.

"Wait for it!" Red called out. The cheering from the crowd was becoming unbearably loud. They could see this was the end. "Build up more power!"

Pika clenched his hands and strained himself, causing the energy flow around him in greater heights. The same was true for Garchomp, coming downwards at an alarming rate.

Thirty feet, twenty five, and twenty feet, it was almost time...

There!

"PIKA VOLT TACKLE!"

"GARCHOMP! GIGA IMPACT!"

Pika jumped upwards, his energy around him, forming an image as if he had wings, lighting trailing around him. The light flashed brilliantly and nearly blinded the crowd. Garchomp's attack was just as spectacular. It braced its shoulder and a column of light began to emanate from him. Time seemed to sow as the two massive attacks formed, and then struck against each other.

There was a blast that nearly blew out Red's eardrums, along with a flare of light that nearly made him blind as well. Red closed his eyes shut and was flung backwards for the explosion of energy that followed.

There was a sound of two somethings crashing down to the floor. Red opened his eyes. On that scarred battle ground, there were two figures on the ground. One, a mouse so beaten and battered, the other, a paragon of strength and uber. Both were on the ground and not moving.

"There's something moving." Cynthia's voice sounded over the wires. Red strained his eyes. There was something moving, one of them which would seal the victory for the other. The winner.

It was not Pika.

Garchomp threw up his arms and roared triumphantly. Red felt something inside his heart strain. He gazed at Pika, but there wasn't such luck. He was down.

RIley, who had been ducking underneath the stands of the audience, threw himself from the stands to the battleground. "And the winner for this battle is Cynthia!"

Red honestly didn't know what to say, but part of him knew he had to do something about congratulating his opponent. His mother would have his head if he didn't, but he was too stunned to do anything.

"If I know hotshot trainers, which I do, then it's probable that you haven't experienced loss before. I want to tell you something that might make you feel better." Cynthia said. Red flinched. He had lost before, but usually to only Green and a few times Lyra and Crystal. Nothing serious.

Cynthia continued. "I never told you which item I choose for myself. If it makes you feel better, I choose a Wacan berry."

Red's mind seemed to grasp at straws. He recognized this from somewhere, didn't he? Then, like a flash of inspiration, he realized what it was. Wacan berries reduced damage from electrical super effective attacks. And apparently high damage ones…

"I would have lost if I didn't; choose that, or at least tied with you. Your gambit might have paid off on anyone else, but at the Plateau, electric types that can defeat ground types are easy to find."

"Huh." Red's brain seemed to turn back on. While the loss still hurt, it was lessened somewhat. "I guess there are a few things I can learn from this place." He said simply in acceptance. Maybe there were things he could learn...

**Elsewhere**

* * *

They had almost not made it. Slade was pretty sure if they had delayed for seconds, then they would have taken the brunt of the explosion. As it was, being buried by tons of rock was not a good way to go. Luckily, it was no mere truck they had made their getaway in. Slade's getaway truck had been a vehicle that was reinforced to survive point blank RPG attacks. It was able to stand up for a t least a while against the rocks. That said, they'd been trapped in the front for the past few days.

They would have been trapped longer, if not for the recovery teams trying to check for survivors in the wake of the disaster. Policeman who used Growlithes to track down survivors.

The moment they had been feed, Slade had greatly enjoyed shooting each and every one of the corrupted policemen. They probably would have been bribed by Otis's rivals anyway.

Otis, the damned man. It was his fault. The audacity to have such lackluster security in his main base. Well he'd be damned to be caught in that man's fat webs any longer. He had a group of hideouts around the region. He's hide there until pressure let up. He wouldn't let this be his end...

* * *

**Hours Later**

Two men were ordered to stand near the back of the truck the moment they entered the base.

"I need you to begin moving the weapons we were able to rescue to the armory. I need to start checking our losses." Slade ordered before leaving the two loyal, if dim men.

The first one, a tall lanky one, spoke. "That was a mess."

The second, a fat man responded as he grabbed an armful of weaponry, "You said it. I had friends back there."

"So did I!" He took an armful of weapons as well. "We're lucky we were stationed outside. I heard that the thieves they fought fought like monsters. Imagine twenty to two odds!"

"I bet they were agents. Big hulking men trained to fight big threats like renegade legends." The man began to dig around in the back of the van for a box to carry some more guns.

"More like G-men. I've heard that the new champion in Kanto is a much bigger threat than anyone thought. He's cracking down hard on any crimes in the region.

"Who knows when he makes it to Johto?" He shoved over a crate of weapons that was far too big to carry himself. "It could be the end of- Hey there's somebody here!"

"What?" The second man rushed to his friend's side. "Wait. A kid? What would a kid be doing in here?"

The first man seemed to think for a moment. "I know! Remember when Slade began to kidnap kids to serve as hostages in case of the worst happening?"

"Yeah. You think that this kid was going to be transferred?"

"We'll bring it up to Slade later. Let's put him in with the kid we have here now. Who was it? Oh yeah. Wally could use some company."

"Yeah!"

And unnoticed by anyone around them, friends and enemies alike, the two men dragged an unconscious boy towards their cells. A specific, spiky haired boy...

* * *

**FINALLY OVER! This chapter was probably a mess of vomited words, but I did it! Just a few notes that I want to consider. One, I want to begin writing more pokemon's perspectives, because they are as important characters as the angels/demons. I'm also going to make sure I don't go overboard with them, so that it is manageable to keep track of them, so no perspectives for every single member. Just one or two per dex holder team.**

**Second, Cynthia's and Red's strength. I decided to start the original dexholders strong for a simple reason that in comparison to the opponents they will face, it will be needed. Cynthia is strong, champion level, while Red would be Elite Four level. There is no need to fear however. What they'll eventually be fighting, they'll need the strength…**

**Also, Green is back! Based on what he's fighting and what Red's fighting, there might be a discrepancy with their strengths, but there is no need to worry. It isn't that Green isn't that strong. It's that he didn't want to be causing collateral damage like good ole rip off Naruto's shadow clone jutsu.**

**In case you didn't notice, I got the idea of Pika's cloning tactic from Naruto. From what I understand in the manga, a substitute sort of works like this would. I adapted it a bit, like being able to have multiple substitutions at once. Also, Pika knows Seismic Toss. Why? I needed a way to get Garchomp up in the air, and simply hitting him didn't seem right, and I didn't want to just say that Fling could be used if Pika was grabbing Garchomp. I'm going to assume that Pika learned it from somewhere, probably Green's mentor, who is Chuck, who may or may not be making an appearance sometime soon. **


	10. The Sickly Boy

The first thing that Green noticed, even before he opened his eyes, was that his head hurt…

"Hold still."

The voice of a boy pounded its way through Green's headache. Green opened his eyes and tried to pick himself up. The second thing that he noticed regarding himself, was that his muscles burned like fire. The mere act of picking himself from the ground hurt him more than any strain from training ever had.

The third thing that he noticed was that he was face down on the ground in a cage_._

"Where am I?" Green asked and once again tried to force himself up. No avail. He thudded to the ground.

"A cell. You were brought here this morning and we've been trying to tend to you, but no luck…"

"A cell..." Green trailed off. Events form the tower began to filter back to him. Had he lost? Why wasn't he dead? Where were the others? A thought crossed his mind. "Who would be we?"

"My name is Wally. The Ralts that has been trying to keep you for getting sick is named Hope. Too bad that we've both lost that long ago…" Wally trailed off.

Green listened. From what he could infer, Wally had been- well wherever they were for a while. He tried to look around, but from the ground he couldn't get a good look. No more procrastinating. He didn't feel pain… he didn't feel pain…

"You're going to hurt yourself!" Wally cried as Green gasped and forced himself up to sit. Green shook off the pain and finally got a good look at Wally.

What was blindly obvious was the hair. Now, Green had seen some colorful hairstyles before, but in the darkly lit cell, Wally's bright green hair was a sharp contrast. Looking past that, Green could see the small boy, for that was the best way to say it.

Green cast an eye around the cell. It wasn't as bad as he first thought. While dark, there was space enough to move around with a few people. A bed sat to one side with a tiny bookcase, relatively empty, but still with a few novels. It was moderately well temperature and a barred window outside told Green that it was nighttime.

But it was still a prison, as told by the massive bars in front if the entrance. No matter how well thought out the kidnappers might have been, this was still was a prison.

Green's injuries burned stronger,and he was nearly brought to his knees before a small trickle of cool drifted towards the wounds and offered relief, however slight. Green turned his head and his eyes cast upon a small pokemon with energy coming out of his hands in a stream, pointed towards Green. A Ralts, which meant this was Hope…

"Thank you. Heal Pulse I presume?" Green asked Wally.

"That would have been wonderful, but sadly, this was all we could figure out. Hope just isn't strong enough to manage one, much less use a teleport to get us out. We've tried, but Hope can barely get himself out, and he won't leave me." Wally sighed. "I'd give you something to treat your wounds, but our regular jailor is busy. Normally, we can manage a fair amount of things like medicine or food, but he seemed very flustered today. He and that creepy new guy should be here at some point"

Green frowned. It seemed like Wally was talking as if he was long term resident. "How long have you been here?"

"I- nothing you wouldn't want to know…"

"What about why you're here?" Green pressed. Why would he be here? Green was a potentially high ranking prisoner, or one who angered their boss if this was who he thought it was. But what about Wally?

"I- don't want- don't want to talk about it." Wally said.

"What about the people who took you here?" Green had his suspicions….

"_We don't know…" _ Green flinched as a voice sounded through his mind. He immediately berated himself. Of course Hope would have a limited telepathic ability, he was a physic...

"Alright." By no means was Green done, but something in the boy's expression made him stop. He didn't need to know right that instant, in fact he was feeling rather tired and he began to slump forward...

* * *

Green's sleep was awoken not by the passage of time, but of something of a more sinister nature. Down the hall, there was the sounds of people talking, all while approaching their location.

He sat up and immediately noticed that he had been moved onto the bed. He cast a look of thanks towards Wally who was reading a book on the ground.

Newly awakened or not, it would probably suit him to listen to what these men had to say. He strained his ears to listen as what seemed two men having a short conversation.

"I can't believe he's going against the boss. Are you sure that we'll be safe?" The first man, a nervous sounding man with the slightest accent. Green was pretty sure he was an older aged man.

"You know that Otis can't find us. Slade was his most competent commander. Without him, he'll never be able to track us down."

So Green's suspicions were confirmed. He must have been taking prisoner for some reason after the battle. He was so sure that they had caused Slade to flee though! Why would he be here…

The girl… THAT ANNOYING- NO- PESKY GIRL MUST HAVE CAUSED THIS! Green's memory was fuzzy, but it must have been Blue and her brother's fault of him being here! Green would have tracked her down wherever she was that very instant if not for the fact he was in a cell.

There was also something on his mind. The second person who had spoken was a younger man. Something about him seemed off…

"So why didn't you tell Slade about the other prisoner those guards found?" Green stiffened.

"Come on Will! The guards said that Slade must have taking him prisoner in the tower. I have to talk to him first and see what I can get. Here, he should be down this corridor." The first man said as he approached.

The first man came into view as he said that, and Green was right in thinking that he was an older man. Slightly overweight, he was a person that at first glance didn't seem overwhelmingly evil. Certainly not a man who would keep a child imprisoned. The second man, the one name Will came into sight, and Green immediately froze.

It wasn't that he was physically imposing. Will was young and wore an odd set of clothing, being high society formal clothes, coupled with a mask over his face, stopping Green from getting any discerning features from him.

No. What was imposing was the magic energy that seemed to radiate off of him…

Green found himself paralyzed as Will's eyes placed on Green's. Instinctively, he felt the need to shrink against the wall, to obscure himself from the man's view. His heart began to pound and it seemed that it was forever that Will's eyes stayed on his own. What was this?

The spell, if that was what it was, was broken by Wally lifting his eyes from his book. "Hello Franklin. Hi Will. How are you doing?"

Will finally turned his eyes from Green. "Just back from a meeting and a rather dull one. Slade managed to cross Otis and is contemplating ditching the stronghold. You know if he does that, he will probably let you go free."

Wally flinched in shock. "Re-re-really!" There was a longing in his voice that asked for it.

"Of course." Will's tone, while in theory seeming warm, was colder if you listened closely. Looking into his eyes, Green could see that Will didn't really mean it. There was only two ways it could end for someone who knew about their operations. Further imprisonment and death.

Franklin seemed uncomfortable. "Well we've got to go. We just wanted to check out the new guy. See how he was coping. Wally will explain if you cooperate you'll be able to stay in somewhat luxury. Better than I had in my childhood!" He laughed at his own joke. "Come on Will."

Will's eyes turned one last time to Green's, and once again, Green found himself in the phenomena of not being able to move. "Of course. And remember child. Wally will explain what rules there are for you to follow. To your benefit or punishment…" He broke the gaze and strode off.

Silence followed for what seemed like forever, stopping only when Wally eventually opened his mouth and said, "See? It might just be me, but there is something creepy about Will. Did you feel it?"

Green nodded slowly. It was a puzzle in itself that Wally could vaguely sense what was going on. He'd have to investigate that, but for now he assumed it was becuase close proximity with a physic. Will seemed off, not just in demeanor but by location. What was a sorcerer doing here?

* * *

"What is it Chuchu?" Yellow bent down on her knees, a few yards away from the auditorium as the last vestiges of light began to disappear from the sky. Chuchu shook her head.

After the battle things had passed relatively smoothly. The Alakazams had quickly fixed all the stadium's damage while the crowd all whispered in awe of the process of the two fighters. Even Blue had been impressed by his strength, which was saying a lot.

When Roxie had came back into the stage though, it became too much for Yellow. She had tried to listen to the music with the others, but unlike everyone in her group, her taste in music was soft and light, often classical. The others on the other hand liked what Roxie was signing...

"**DARKNESS! DESTRUCTION! DAMAGE ALL AROUND!" **

Yellow shook her head. Roxie's heavy metal music that others liked for some reason. She'd have to get a bit farther off away to get away from the noise. However, as soon as they had neared the forest that was used for capturing wild pokemon, Chuchu had begun to freak out…

"What's wrong?" Yellow whispered as soon as she checked if no one was looking. Blue might have been following her unseen, but more likely she was trying to practice pickpocketing and her other hobbies, including shipping…

Yellow shuddered

Chuchu gestured in the direction of the forest. "_Something seems wrong…"_ She trailed off as a figure in the distance came into sight.

He seemed like a student, but Yellow was too far away to notice his features. The man looked around, however in the dim lighting blocked Yellow from sight. He seemed reassured and began to trek into the forest, still looking over his shoulder until out of sight.

"Weird…" Yellow trailed off as she lost sight of the man. "Wonder what he was doing…" And in the darkness too. Yellow was fine because demons naturally could see in the dark, but not an ordinary person…

The loud music of Roxie's band began to resurge as she began a new and louder song. "Come on. Blue said we need to head back to the plane since we haven't been assigned dorms yet." Yellow began to stroll off.

* * *

Chuchu sat where she'd been for a second more. The keen ears of a Pikachu perked up in interest and fright, Something seemed off about the forest. Yellow couldn't sense it, but there was something wrong…

She shook it off and went bounding after her master, and she never noticed the shadowy figure that watched the whole scene, hidden in the trees. The shadowy figure that picked itself up and went into that dark forest…

* * *

Green sighed. Of all the thing that had happened, the situation with Will had been the most worrying. What was a sorcerer doing here? Especially such a powerful one. Green could feel his energy from here. It was powerful and dangerous enough to paralyze him with a look. And he didn't think that it was on purpose.

Wally was a few feet away from him. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to talk about what had happened, which was bad because he was probably the only one who'd know why there was a villain like that here.

If Wally had overheard something, then that could make things much easier. The problem was that Wally had been adamant in not telling his story. If Green wanted to find out what was going on, he'd have to get it from him.

An idea sprung into Green's mind. One that he'd normally wouldn't condone if not for the circumstances he was in. He was pretty sure he'd be able to escape, but he really did need to know why Will was here. He couldn't leave without that information and saving Wally.

Wally's problem was that he was too emotionally scarred to tell his story. To be able to get his information, Green would have to do something about those emotions...

He really did know what to do. It was technically allowed in circumstances such as this. Sorcerers could be dangerous, especially in the company of a dangerous commanders such as Slade. Gren could use magic to influence Wally.

His magic that he was blessed with wasn't exactly polished, but it certainly was strong enough to influence Wally for a few minutes. The problem was if it was morally right to influence Wally when he was hurt, and that Will might pick up the magic.

Once, Green would never have hesitated, but once, Green had cared for nobody. Green cared for Wally's mental state. To influence it would be an awful blow.

What decided it for him was the recollection of the feeling Green had experienced under Will's gaze. Will certainly hasn't been purposely targeting him. No, it was an unconscious act of power, and to do that meant a sorcerer whose power was unsurpassed. Certainly one with magic better than any Angel had been gifted for years. His poor substitute for what was magic...

"Wally. I need you to do me a favor." Green asked.

Wally looked up from his book. "What is it?"

"Are you sure that you can't tell me what happened here?"

Wally's expression hardened. "I don't want to talk about it."

Green sighed. He tried. "Then could you tell me how this sounds? I've been working on it for a while and I'm not sure who it's turned out.

"Sure."

Green closed his eyes. A smooth feeling came over him as his energy was depleted. Wally looked on in confusion at Green's silence, but it wasn't for long. A sudden wind drifted into the room, in it clear and pristine notes of music played to the ear. Smooth and clear, the notes relaxed everyone in the room. Furthermore and more importantly, it made the listeners more likely to listen to what Green needed to ask...

Wally sighed as his eyes drifted off to the sounds of Green's music, which mean that it was beginning to work. He hopefully wouldn't notice what happened after, but for now, he needed to ask questions. He'd start with a simple one. "How long have you been here?"

"Months."

Months? The kind of person that would do something to a child… "Why?"

Hope rose unsteady on his feet. Wally sat down cross legged and beckoned to him, and Hope gratefully climbed into his laps. Wally sat there, silent for a few seconds, before starting. "The best way to put it would be because no one would notice. Not someone as sick as me."

Green stayed silent in al but his music, but he silently beckoned Wally to continue. Better silence than half hearted words…

"My family and I were in Johto because of my disease. I- I can't overextend myself without panicking. My breath becomes light and rapid- my heart beats- I couldn't play as a child. I was so lonely- no one wanted to be friends with someone like me. I had just wanted a friend."

Green knew the kind of people Wally was like. Red had been like that once, before the annoying boy had to go and turn himself into a daredevil trainer and warrior and became everyone's friend. Before that, he was so protected by his mother and alone, he could have been lonely for years if not for a young Green entering into the picture as a rival.

He's gained a rival that day, but Red had also gained a friend. A person needed a friend to turn out right. Without someone, Wally must have grown up alone.

"A boy from the town we lived in- a young one and son of the gym leader had helped me prove that I could have a friend, even without people. He helped me catch Hope and named him. I was so proud that I could do something- It taught me that I could do something on my own! I named him Hope."

Tears began to glisten as they fell from Wally. "I showed my family what that boy had taught me. We'd proved that I wasn't helpless. My family was so proud. They began to think of it not as something to protect me form, but as something that they could nurture and fix. They found out about a mountain in Johto that was said to have the purest air in the world. We took an ocean liner in hopes of visiting that mountain…" He sniffed.

It was at that point that Green began to realize the mistake he had walked into. If he had been more in tune with children or perhaps other people, he would have realized what he was doing was making Wally upset. But he had been too busy trying to control himself and his own thoughts to notice the boy's next to him. And he still needed to know.

Perhaps he had been expecting a normal person's reaction, but Wally wasn't the average. He'd been stuck alone with nobody for months, with a hostile crowd and a pokemon who had been his only solace, yet the cause of the mess in the first place. He's been keeping his story to his heart for all this time. And he was finally revealing it...

"And that was when they struck."

Hope had stopped playing Wally's lap and noticed his trainer's state. He offered a comforting hand to him, but that didn't stop Wally from his grief.

"They waited until I was alone. Just another kid getting off the ocean liner. My parents were in the bathroom and I was waiting for them. They took me there."

Targeting an ocean liner for another region. Brutal but efficient. They weren't registered in Johto thanks to the idiots who set up the systems of justice and crime. No one would have known. Green's heart was beginning to tug at him. Wally looked upset, but he needed to get this out. The first step towards recovery. Green needed to know why as well. There had to be a reason…

Wally continued, oblivious to the fact that Green's motives were more suited to information then maximum therapy for him. Even if he did know, he wouldn't care…

"I thought that- for the first few days- that my parents would come for me. They loved me. Nothing would stop them. Days past, and I knew that they would be here soon with the champion of Kanto/Johto at their backs and the police. And it was a week before I realized they weren't coming, and since they wouldn't have rested for seconds if they knew what had happened to me, then they had to be delayed. They had to be- had to be- they wouldn't have stopped looking for me, yet why did they never come!"

Why did they never come? Words that Green had whispered to himself once, after his own parents had never came back…

"The man in charge. What do you know about him?"

Wally sniffed. "Not- not a lot. I've heard that he's scary, and he's been here once or twice to check on me, but not a lot. I'm here as a hostage in case of police. Nothing else. No reason why they did this. Just a hostage."

"Anything special about Will?"

"Nothing other than that he's creepy."

He had to be kidding him. There had to be something. Maybe Wally wasn't sure. "What about anything he said? Anything that happened?"

Wally hesitated. "There have been times that he's been talking to himself. It's been weird, like he's talking to another person, but there was no one there. They were talking about some weird stuff. Something about a necklace and an Otis's tower."

A necklace? That seemed familiar… Something he must have heard or read….

"Anything else?" There had to be something,

Wally's eye began to drift. One of the side effects of his very limited scope of magic was that it put people to sleep. A really great set of magic, right?. The ability to make people answer questions and calm them down. Certainly the best abilities in the world. What he wouldn't give for a fireball…

Wally shook himself. His eyes were still wet from his crying, making Green feel bad about what he had been doing. The sickly boy scrunched his eyes together, definitely a sign of difficult thought. "There was something else he talked about one day."

"What?"

"I'm not sure. Something had made him upset. He was talking to himself again, except calling that voice Karen. Apparently some dude named Bruno had done something big, and Will began to rant about how Giratina would have his head. He seemed really upset. It was the only time I've ever seen him lose his cool." Wally paused for a moment and looked at Green's stunned face. "Is that important? I thought Giratina was just a myth, but he was talking as if he saw it or something."

"...ye-yeah. Thanks…" Green trailed off. Giratina. Could it be that he was talking about the myth or a person named after it? No, that was illogical, and if Green was anything, he was logical in situations like this. Will had to be talking about the Giritna.

Sorcerers made their deals with legends like Darkrai and other psychic Legendaries. They learned at their sides in return for doing favors for those somewhat gods. No sorcerer could have met Giratina, unless that sorcerer was a demon…

* * *

It was at this point that Green made his mistake. His problem was an elementary one mostly coming from not being someone whom focused on magic at all. As any magical user would know, (being like the very few there were. There was probably only a dozen magic user per region last time they checked), by losing concentration, you would loose your spell.

Simple elementary. but not something Green would know because no one has practiced it much after the invention of weapons that shot lead.

When a spell was lost, two things would happen. One was that the effects would only somewhat work, The second would be that the effects would stop immediately. Generally, the average person would assume it was a dream or something and unconsciously ignore it because the brain would interpret it into something understandable.

Wally was not the average person.

* * *

Wally's eyes slowly opened back up and Wally noticed that they were still wet with the tears he'd cried.

What had happened? As far as he could tell, he'd just spilled his secrets to Green. Wally on guard looked to Green cautiously. Not that it was needed.

Green was inwardly debating with himself. It wasn't easy to spot, but his mouth was twitching with a few words every once in a while. He seemed removed from the world, but that didn't last long as Wally walked up to him and slapped him on the spot.

Dear Arceus, he just slapped the possibly evil magic person. Had he been possessed? He hardly ever done things like that.

Worse was that he sorta liked it...

"_It's magic. Form the old folk tales I've heard, it normally makes it so that you confess secrets and be all calm, but it backfired. I can feel it too. You're going to act all angry now for a bit. Also your'e hormones might make you crazy." _Hope worriedly said.

Green used magic on him? But why? How?

* * *

"OW!"

In what was probably the most unexpected event Green had experienced, he found himself on the ground after being slapped by the small peaceful _sickly _boy.

Red would have a field day if he found out.

"What was that for?" Green demanded as he confronted Wally.

"What did you do to me? Hope says you did some kind of magic. WHY?"

Why did he remember? It shouldn't have let him remember or even realize it was magic. Even if he had failed the spell, it shouldn't have been so overwhelmingly clear to either of them.

What Wally and said echoed in his had said that he felt something wrong about Will. Maybe it wasn't that Will broadcasted his magic to everyone, or else the others would have noticed, especially if he was a demon. Wally must have been sensitive enough to sense it like Green had. If he did do that, it suggested that there was more to this child than first expected.

"I asked you. Why did you mess with me!"

Green had to handle this correctly. He guessed it wouldn't be kept well with Wally if he said angel. After all, who could believe that?

"It wasn't to be be cruel, I had to do that," keeping his voice calm was paramount.

"Why? What worth would it be that you find out about all that happened to me? Did you need to gloat over it?"

"NO!" Green's heart was racing. It was becoming hard to keep calm. "I needed to find about about Will and your kidnapping. You noticed it too. Something's off about him and I just found it out!"

"Then what is he?" Wally's question was decidedly calm.

"..." Green stayed silent. If he told him about him being a demon, then Wally wouldn't believe him. As ridiculous as it seemed, going with the truth about Will being a sorcerer seemed the most logical explanation. Wally knew about magic and psychic types. "He's a sorcerer."

Wally reflected on that or a moment, perhaps because it might seem believable after what Green had done. "Is that what you are?"

"No!" Green shot back while his mind raced quickly. "I just happen to know a bit of magic. Nothing useful like a fireball or anything flashy."

"How can I trust you? You could have waited until I was comfortable telling you instead of manipulating my mind!" Wally protested.

Green sighed. "By the time that happened, we'd be out of here."

Wally laughed. "What do you mean? We'd be caught in an instant, and Hope isn't strong enough to teleport us! We're going to be stuck here till we die!" He laughed hysterically.

Green closed his eyes. "You're being emotional, which is my fault." His thoughts began to churn. He could get Wally to calm down until the other magic wore off by showing him that he had a way to get out. "If you calm down, I can show you how we can get out."

Wally seemed to struggle for a bit. His good nature was beginning to clash with the magic influencing his emotions. Then Hope put a hand on Wally's shoulder and Wally shook himself up. H breathed once, then twice."I'm- I'm better."

Green was impressed. Hope was stronger then he looked. He recognized it. Hope was able to use his heal pulse specifically designated to help with mental states. A tricky move to pull. Maybe it wasn't that Hope wasn't strong enough to pull of standard psychic attacks. It wasn't what he was suited for…

Once Wally wasn't spitting fire, Green reached down for his belt. "Now that you're paying attention, there's something that I've noticed the instant I Woke up." He felt for the objects on his belt and grasped them. "They never searched me, probably because Slade was never told. They underestimated what I can do. They thought my pokemon would be as equally weak."

* * *

To Wally's amazement, Green pulled three pokeballs out of his belt. The amazing part was that the guards had neglected to check them, because while a teletportless Ralts was one thing, a dragon, monster, and giant mantis were another….

"You weren't kidding. You- you- mean we're going to get out of here?" Wally gazed hopefully towards Green, perhaps the first sign of hope in so long.

Green kneeled and put an hand on Wally's shoulder. "Of course we're getting out. I wouldn't leave anyone behind."

Wally looked into Green's eyes and saw the fierce yet gentle gaze in them. He was serious without a single speck of indecision or doubt that they'd escape.

And for the first time in ages, Wally had a glimmer of hope…

* * *

While the shadow's around him might have made another person quail in fear, they held no fear to him. Not when it was so important he got it to his destination…

The forest was dark and thick. The humidity began to make him slowly roast inside as he slowly forced his way with reckless abandon past briars, thorns, and trees. Occasionally a pair of eyes would emerge from the forest, evaluating their chances of taking him out. None made a move to assault him. A manic energy that seemed to go around him dissuaded them from it.

He'd been a fool earlier. The fight with that girl. He'd become cocky under the influences of what he sought now. He thought it had given him strength, but it wasn't enough. He needed more. HE NEEDED MORE!

Time passed and he gradually began to wonder about where he was. The stranger, the shadow. He should be here like the last times! Where could he be? In a fit of desperation, he flung his fist towards the nearest tree and cracked the bark as his hand impacted it. His strength would last, but there was only so far it could go.

"Whatever that tree did to you is not worth it. Deal with what you got dealt. Don't take it out on that tree."

He turned around and seemingly out of nowhere, a figure of shadows stepped out of the darkness. It had been frightening the first time it had happened. Now, he was used to it.

"I need more!" He grasped these words, those words that seemed to embody everything he needed.

The shadowed figure laughed. "What I gave you should have lasted far longer than this. I thought I told you to deal with your cards yourself, and not let anything influence them!"

"There was this girl… she… she's strong and annoying!" He cried in desperation.

The shadowed figure waved his feeble gestures off. "And you should have dealt with it on your own! Admittedly, she does bother me too, but in ways you wouldn't understand. So you took some in that dosage isn't healthy."

'I don't care! I need more!" For a desperate moment, he thought about seizing it from the shadowed figure, but on second thought, he shook it off. While the figure wasn't threatening, there was more to it that that.

The figure noticed his slight hesitation. "Try to take it. We can see how far it'll last you if you do that, but instead, let's talk about what I have here!" He took out a bottle that rattled with a familiar sound.

"GIVE ME!"

The figure held up a finger. "Eventually. But first, you will have to do something for me."

"Anything!"

The figure smiled. "Of course. Do you know the building where those girls hang out just outside campus? The gossiping place?"

"Yes."

"Go there and do something for me."

"What do you bid?

The figure smiled and looked into his eyes. Distant and cold, he shivered for as long as they stayed on him.

"Kill them…"

* * *

**Crystal's Scientific Journal- Magical use and rarity**

**There are many cases of magical use used throughout the years. From miracles to everyday occurrences, magic is something that has been used for centuries.**

**But recently, something has changed. Magical users have become rare. I know for a fact that Green is one, though he uses it so sparingly you could never tell. I suspect that Lyra nght have something, but with her it is to hard to tell anything that uses hard evidence. **

**There are a few users, but altogether, they are becoming rare. In an Angel magic sprung from the same source that fueled our wings, but when those wings were taken, magic began to slowly disappear.**

**Not only angels, but magic users all together are hard to find. Sorcerers who dealt with legends have altogether disappeared, natural born wizards are gone, from what we know about demons, all their magic is being disappearing.**

**I theorize that this lack of magic has something to do with the disappearance of the gods and legends. Magic often took the form of moves like a pokemon would use. My theory is that Green's calming magic is actually Calm Mind for a humanoid. Once it was that you might see a legend a few times in your lifetime, but nowadays there are no chances of that happening.**

**The last sighting of Mew was years ago, followed by a sudden drop in magic users. Somehow, I feel these are connected…**

* * *

**Note- Wally might seem a bit out of character in this chapter, but that's intentional. It will take time, but he'll be back to himself once he escapes and has Green stop messing around with magic.**


	11. Backup in the Town

Generally when one woke up, it was expected that they would be in perhaps a bed, or at worst on the ground having rolled off the bed in their sleep. Generally, the person was expected to be able to recognize where they had gone to bed as well, along with what circumstances.

But for the life of her, Blue could not figure out why she was nestled in the branch of a palm tree in the middle of the desert.

Startled by her unexpected position, Blue felt herself losing her balance, when she realized on the way down that it was generally a bad idea to clumsily move when in a careful and delicate situation in the air. She had five second to reflect on that as she fell to the ground.

"OWWW!"

Blue quickly picked herself up from the sand as she struggled to get up. She took a look around cautiously. The sand stretched on for miles, but there was nothing in between. She glanced away. "How did I get here…" She muttered to herself.

"You flew." A familiar voice said.

Blue once again felt herself jump back as a voice from behind her spoke out. She whirled around. How had somebody been able to sneak up on her without her noticing! To her surprise, it was Yellow, though that was debatable.

Maybe it was the leather jacket that she wore, with the numbers 666 branded on the collar. Or maybe it was the dark sunglasses that she wore that made her look like a badass. Either way, Blue was confused. "Yellow! What are you wearing! You never wear stuff like that! Even when I try to blackmail you!"

Yellow smiled, looking awesome as she pulled a knife from her pocket. Blue had the irrational fear that she'd be stabbed for a second, until Yellow used it to clean her fingernails. "What do you mean I'd never wear my jacket? I always wear my jacket when I'm watching you and the lovebirds."

"The lovebirds? Who is being shipped without my knowledge!" Bleu demanded to know. Behind her, she heard the sound of boots hitting the ground and she turned around to see Gold, wearing a chef's uniform and Sapphire, in none other than a dress, passionately making out by the tree.

The sight took a few seconds for it to register in Blue's brain. "By Giratina, Gold you better have a good reason why you're wrecking my plans of shipping for you two!"

"It's an evil curse placed on them by the dark god Celebi and Meloetta. Those satanic demons have attempted to upset the balance of the world by going back in time to introduce rock and roll before Elvis was able to!" A voice loudly explained from behind her.

Blue whirled around and nearly lost her balance as she saw Green, in an aviator's jacket and a fedora, along with white wings extending from his back. What also seemed off was that the boy was ridiculously handsome, to the point of comedy. Blue began to think she needed to sit down...

Green continued. "You must stop them by forming a band with your archrivals to form mecha transformers that will be able to defeat them! Meanwhile, I'll gather up the legendary instruments of the Guitar Hero! Smell you later"

"Alright! This is crazy, and the only reason why this could be happening is if I was dreaming!" Blue realized. "None of you make sense or even something I'd even want! Why would my subconscious demand Gold in a chef's outfit? None of you make sense!" She gasped for air. "Except you Yellow. I'm actually going to see if I can convince my Yellow that this should be her style.

"Bout time she did so." Yellow said spinning her knife on the palm of her hand. "By the way, I bet you 100 poke that this was all Gold's fault somehow. Give it to other Yellow when you wake up."

"And I'll just steal my poke from her when I win." Blue said as the dream place began to disappear...

* * *

And that was the moment that Yellow, the real Yellow, grabbed the sleeping Blue by the shoulders and woke her up.

"What happened?" Blue groaned as Yellow fished violently shaking her. "Where am I?"

Yellow sighed in relief as she saw that Blue was up. She'd been content to let the group sleep until she noticed Blue tossing uneasily from a nightmare. It was at that moment Yellow and tried to wake her up. "Do you mean before or after I dragged you all back to the plane?"

* * *

Blue bolted up, thinking that for a second she was still dreaming. "What do you mean? Koga should have taken the plane back already! Yes, I know I told you to go back there, that was when I was trying to arrange a dorm when at the concert! At least, that was what I planned to do. I can't remember…" She trailed off with an awful suspicion in her mind. "Wait…. Did you evilly take our memories for the sole purpose of being evil? If so, I'm so proud of you!"

Yellow blushed a deep red and directed her eyes to the ground. "No. I just went looking for you in the stands after the first three hours."

"Then why can't I..." A horrible suspicion filed her mind. "What did Gold do?"

Yellow sighed and passed Blue a cup of something hot and steaming. "You know those drinks that Gold got for us that I passed down on?"

"He did not…" Blue muttered to herself, then took a sip of her cup. It was actually a quite good herbal tea, which served to clear away anything wrong.

"He spiked them, then accidentally drank it himself. I had to drag all of you back to the plane. Luckily, Koga showed up to take the plane back and I convinced him to wait a day or two." Yellow pointed behind Blue, and for the first time Blue noticed where she was. They were back in the plane with their separate beds, all tucked in courtesy of Yellow.

That peace lasted for a long as it took for Blue to march down and flip Gold out of his bed and onto the floor.

In an instant, he was up. "Silver! What did you, oh- uh- hi Blue…" He trailed off as he beheld the anger in Blue's eyes. "I deny everything that Silver has said against me."

"Yellow sold you out child." Blue grinned evilly, placing special emphasis on the word child.

"Oh. In which case..." He turned tail and ran off, but not fast enough to avoid the thief, who leapt over his bed to catch him by the shoulder..

"As dictator leader, I command you to be my servant for the rest of the day!" Blue said. "Or else we'll let Silver know who drugged him and where a convenient place to stash your body is."

Gold gulped. 'What is it that you bid? He laughed nervously as his eyes darted around for a place to escape.

Blue waved him off. "Wake the others up. We're going to go demand a dormitory together, then _you_ are going to carry all of our shopping that I am going to do." She grinned maliciously. "And a certain dream brought on by spiked drinks has given me some ideas…" She laughed mercilessly.

Though the effect was kinda ruined as Blue reluctantly handed a flummoxed Yellow a 100 poke worth in coins before heading out to see Cynthia...

* * *

Maybe if he had ordered Pika to forget the cloning tactic and instead go for an attack that would have unbalanced Garchomp, he would have won. No, Garchomp would be too fast, but if he had Pika electrocute the Garchomp in the first place while at full power, he could have made him use the berry so later on he could have- but Garchomp would have been able to last long enough to beat Pika before he could land a final blow…

"Red!" Where are you?" Ruby cried out.

Perhaps it was because he had been goaded into using Pika. If he had used Suar instead, Garchomp's ground type would have been used against him. It even would have made sense. Saur was more or less his official starter. He could have said his starter was more of a trump card, but if Garchomp had flamethrower…

"Red! Come out!"

If he had taught Pika better fighting move, maybe he'd be able to engage the Garchomp at close enough combat to be able to keep him unbalanced enough for a heavy hitting blow-

"RED COME OUT NOW BEFORE I HAVE BLAZE SMOKE YOU OUT!"

Red found himself shake himself awake as a shoulder began to pound itself on his door in an effort to break it. It was making not a lot of headway, but Red knew not to take it lightly. If it was Lyra, then that means her pokemon would be-

BANG!

Red sighed as Blaze thudded into the room, the door sent flying by the hinges from the force of the blow. Out of habit, he threw his arm out to catch Lyra as she tripped.

It was depressing once he realized that it happened often enough to warrant an _instinct _for it.

Lyra steadied herself then faced Red. Meanwhile, Red inwardly prepared himself for a rant. "Red! We're going out to explore the grounds now! I don't care if you lost for like the first time ever to someone who isn't Green! Get over it!"

Ruby hesitantly poked his head through the now empty doorframe. "She's right. You beat me plenty of times and I don't throw a fit about it!"

"No. You throw a fit when we convince you to train in the first place!" Red snapped back half heartedly, but he relented. Once they were on his case, he wouldn't be able to resist much. He wasn't Green.

Though that thought made him depressed all over again.

They met Crystal at the doorway of their dormitory, having registered to have one in advance came in handy for when they were finished watching Roxy's concert. Red had been able to get a good view from the Pokemon Center as he waited for Pika to recover.

Crystal shot him a glance that was both kind and unsympathetic. He wondered if there was a school for learning them. Most of the team could use them.

"Cheer up Red." Lyra said as they began to walk. "You were against Cynthia! Even among champions, she's amazing! She's like a champion of other champions!" She trailed off. "What would that be called? Pokemon master? No, thats' a silly name!"

Crystal jumped in. "Red, you were able to do more than maybe 99.9% of people could. It was a matter of one blow that one it, and her blow was just enough."

Red stayed emotionless. It still labored on him. He had never experienced a loss like this before. It weighed heavily on him. Hopefully, the campus of the school would be able to change that.

If anything though, it made it worse…

* * *

The school, being a high tech place for students who were some of the best around was likewise equipped well in terms of the amenities it had to make up for the secluded location.

According to the map of Sinnoh, Red knew that the closest city was miles and miles away, but the school did a good job as any in picking up the slack.

There was a pokemon center, the model that included a pokemart inside along with connections to most regions to the world, but that didn't stop the school from having a big sized PokeMart nearby. It was close to the coliseum, probably so it was easier to rush towards the center after people fighting inevitably lost.

Up to the northern area was the school itself, along with a large section of dormitories to the Northwest, where Red and the rest came from as they made a circular path around the school grounds.

Past the coliseum and the massive forest, stores and shops began to appear, along with well maintained roads. A good selection of people were there who were second year people and on, all who were socializing and getting back to normal after their break.

Overall, the campus was large enough to be a major city in it's own right. What they heard about the school seemed so far accurate. Red could certainly see the way that the entire place deserved its praise. They neared the spot where they said they would reunite with Emerald who would give a more intensive tour once they met up.

It was too bad that his enjoyment of the place was ruined by the people in it.

It wasn't that in themselves the people were bad, far from it. What was their problem was that the moment they recognized Red as the person who had gone toe to toe with Cynthia, the problems started.

"Aren't you the boy who nearly beat Cynthia? That was amazing! I'm so thrilled to meet you!" A girl said to Red, just one of the people who had noticed him.

Red thanked them while keeping a polite smile on his face, but it was getting to him. All these people were talking to him and congratulating him, but what had he done? He had lost to a champion and that was nothing to be excited about.

As they made their way through the cluster of buildings and shops on their way to Emerald, the others shot him sympathetic glances when not being distracted by the stores. It was a kind gesture, but just ended up making him feel worse.

They reached what seemed like the end of the main road and shrunk into a small path that led forward. This was where Emerald said they'd meet him. Crystal went first, followed by Red as the group followed the path ta short way to find a small clearing. A fountain was the most visible feature, where Pidgeys were washing themselves. Mostly unoccupied benches surrounded the fountain in a circle. Only two people were there. One was Emerald, the second a girl who was sobbing to herself nearby...

"Hey Crys! Took you long enough to get here!" EMerald called out from one bench of many surrounding the was fiddling with his wired shoe things, but at the moment he saw the group, he jumped up. "Ready to start your tour?"

"EMERALD!" Crystal said in that special tone she reserved for scolding. Emerald immediately stiffened at the sound of it and looked around guiltily."Why haven't you helped that poor girl?" Her eyes seemed to hold a fire as she gazed at Emerald.

"Yea- I mean- not my problem. I mean- I don't know the girl..." Emerald stuttered as Crystal walked over to the bench with the crying girl and sat down. Lyra flanked her and sat down on the opposite end. Red, putting aside his doubts about himself aided Ruby in getting in front of the girl.

Crystal fished in her back for a handkerchief and gave it to the girl, who took it and blew on it. They did nothing but listen to the girl cry for a few seconds before Crystal began. "Do you want to tell us why you're crying?'" She asked softly to the girl. In the crying that followed, her eyes began to wander around until she stiffened, finally noticing that Emerald was still standing there. She made a quick gesture for him to come over. He obeyed.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but we want to help!" Lyra said.

The girl shook her head. "No it's- it's okay. You seem nice enough, and it doesn't matter if you know. He'll be spreading the story anyway." She blew her nose into the handkerchief. "My name is Meg, and before a few hours ago, I had been dating a boy named Brutus.

"Brutus? What a dumb name- OWWW!" Emerald's comment was cut short by Crystal violently stepping on his foot. The small boy started hopping around in pain.

"Continue." Crystal said to the starring Meg as if she had done nothing.

Meg stared at her for a second before shakily for a second before continuing. "I had been dating Brutus before this, and I had thought that we were serious. He would praise my beauty and tell me how smart I was." She trailed off.

"What happened?" Ruby asked careful to not seem too impeding.

Meg sobbed for a second. "I- I had been ready to go on one of our dates that we had planned, a stroll on the beach as the sun set-

"And in this summer weather? How romantic!" Ruby sighed before Crystal slammed her foot into him as well. Red decided that it would probably be best at this point to do nothing at all in words. He'd been on the receiving end of Crystal's foot many times...

"Continue" Crystal said as she watched Ruby try to not get his clothes ruined while avoiding the ground. It wasn't working.

There was a look on Meg's face that told Red that she thought that they were a highly eccentric bunch. They got that look a lot, which was why Red was usually on the "beat up the things causing people to be upset" side of things. Nevertheless, she continued.

"About an hour before the walk, he called me to cancel unexpectedly. It was so out of character for him, especially with him being as excited as I was. I decided to use my Pidgeoto to follow him out of sight."

"Why didn't you ask him?" Lyra asked Meg. "I mean if I had a boyfriend that was acting strangely, I would have asked him straight up what was his problem. If he didn't answer, I could always have sicced Blaze on him.

Crystal gave her sister a deadpan look. "Unlike you Lyra, most people don't beat up the people they're dating because of that!"

Emerald chimed in from the corner. "That and the fact that there is a reason you've never had a boyfriend." He stopped laughing when Lyra threw an empty pokeball at him though.

"That's what you would do! I mean, if you weren't so obsessed with your books and cared about other people!"

"Books are important for our careers! I help people! It's just that on my free time, I'm getting a good job!"

"You never go out or have fun though! How are you supposed t - OWW!"

Pika had been annoyed by the noise. He'd been trying to get rest after being thrown around the place and really just felt like he needed his sleep. When the two sisters had begun to argue loudly, he had popped out of his pokeball and sent a barrage of sparks toward the both of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"Umm, shouldn't we let Meg finish her story?" Red volunteered. Crystal and Lyra had the decency to look abashed as they calmed themselves down and turned their attention back to Meg.

Meg looked slightly put off. "So is this normal behaviour?" She asked Red who had yet to embarrass himself in front of her. Key word being yet.

"Completely normal." Red silently decided he wouldn't speak a further word in hopes that she wouldn't think that all of them were crazy. The look Meg had that was half interest, half revulsion, and half crying told him it was too late.

Meg sighed. "You know what? I don't care. I followed Brutus and I found him in front of the fountain in another one of these corner clearings. He- he- seemed normal so I had been relieved but then…" She sniffed. "I saw the other girl."

Sh started to break down again. Lyra wrapped her arms around the girl and let Meg cry onto her for a few seconds. "It's okay, I know! Why don't we go find that jerk and make him OMPHHH!" That last part was because Crystal had muffled her sister.

"If he was with another girl Meg, then clearly he's worth nothing. Why don't you stand up and come with us. Emerald was going to give us a tour if the place since we're new here. Why don't you come with?" She said to Meg as she helped her up. "We can look around and see if we can do our best to put that in the past."

And that was the story of why they let a random stranger join them for a tour, through Red didn't think it helped the poor girl. By the way the group had acted though, he was surprised she hadn't ran away screaming…

* * *

"And this big red building is a pokemon center!"

Crystal sighed. "We know what a pokemon center is Emerald. I was the one who showed you where and how they worked back home in Johto."

"You could try doing better explaining this. It's not like this place has anything else worth talking about!" Emerald replied as he tried to gesture with his hand, only to find that his clothes had slipped over them and obscured it. He began to try and shove it back up but failed. "I haven't come up with a good end of the tour yet!"

Emerald had shown them around the campus and surrounding areas in much greater detail, especially with some of the tricks he had picked up from his time before this year. Red had found out that there was a better store for items in general tucked away in a little alley. Emerald had passingly introduced them to White, a young girl with an innovative look in her eye and a long ponytail who ran the small little store that had better equipment then the high class pokemart. White was able to find all of her rare items because she wasn't old enough to be a student. She just ran the store and in her free time looked around for the best deals she could sniff out.

They found out that the town wasn't there exclusively for students. In fact, there was a thriving population of people who lived there, making the campus as much of a town as Sunnyshore or Snowpoint.

The roads were well paved and easily connected, even if the town seemed to have a lack of organization. When he remarked on how chaotic the layout was, Emerald ha said that the rumor was that both Cynthia and Riley had been in charge of the designs, and while Cynthia's mind was an intellectual prodigy, her organizational skills were slightly less than so. Riley wasn't exactly the most active person ever either. He liked to sleep a lot and Emerald regarded them with tales of finding him in the oddest of places.

Also the number of ice cream shops. Red had passed more than he could count all over. Crystal had remarked about it being Cynthia's favorite treat.

They had circled around the small little district that the town loosely formed. Each district seemed to have a common theme, like pokeball shops, even if it was ruined by the occasional oddball shop in the mix.

All things considered, it was an impressive sight that Emerald showed them as he finished up with what was the main plaza. The main plaza, he explained, contained a second pokemon center and pokemart in their normal sizes in a square of buildings providing walls forming a clearing. In the center was a podium where the town leaders, Cynthia or Riley, would address the town on issues when they weren't doing- well Red didn't actually know what they did. What did schoolmaster's do?

As he sat resting in one of the benches as Emerald took a break, he casted a quick look towards Meg. The girl seemed to have cheered up throughout the walk, occasionally commenting on different areas or talking about the abandoned warehouse that served as the town's sorta blackmarket. She seemed happy enough, but Red thought there was the faintest glimmer of sadness in her expression.

As his eyes began to wander the area, they rested on the sight of two teens argueing on one of the benches. One of them was very familiar, wearing a blue jacket and dark blue hair that covered part of his eyes, but Red wasn't sure until he saw the Pidgeot on his shoulder. That clinched it.

"Is that Falkner!" Red asked Lyra pointing out the boy who was arguing.

Lyra scrunched her eyes and looked. "I think- Crys look it's Falkner! What's he doing here?" She got up and started making her way towards him with Red following in interest. The moment they got into range Lyra called out "HEY FALKNER! HOW ARE YOU DOING!" Behind Red's back, he could see the others following them, though Crystal was muttering something about insensitivity.

Falkner looked towards the voices in confusion as Lyra acalle out, but his expression brightened up when he saw the others. Red could see the other person now. She was a girl with spiked purple hair and a small cape, and she hadn't yet realized that Falkner had turned around. "You're just saying that because your father beat mine one time! That was ages ago! You know my dad's the best trainer!"

She realized that Falkner wasn't paying attention and turned her gaze to them. "Oh, uh hi." She trailed off her speaking. Red noticed that her eyes moved rapidly between them, almost as if she was assessing the threat of each person there. When she finished the others and turned her attention to Red, he kept the stare up and the two eyes met. She nodded her head with the slightest of movements in respect. She could tell that Red knew what she was doing, if not why.

"Falkner! How you doing buddy? I thought you were supposed to be training at your gym this time of year!" Lyra said, going up to Falkner to slap him on the back. Crystal smiled towards him. Falkner, Crystal, and Lyra were part of the same year of recruits back home, so they had known each other. Since he was an upcoming gym leader in Johto, he often worked away from their home.

Falkner shrugged his shoulders. "My father had gotten this idea that I should be sent to this school when he's tending to the gym. It's supposed to be teaching advanced techniques, which is something that he thought would be good for me to know when I take his place." He stopped for a moment and gazed pointedly towards the girl. "When I take his place as the _greatest _trainer!"

Jaien laughed. "You know that's rubbish! My father is the best! I hear that the new pokemon champ in Kanto is considering him for Elite Four status!"

"Well my dad could beat the elite four! You know that Janine!"

"So can mine!"

Red awkwardly stood by as the two began to argue. Something about Janine seemed familiar It was the cape and outfit that sparked his emory. "Wait. Werent you one of the junior trainers in Fuchsia gym a few years back?"

"Yeah, and- wait, You're the boy that had his Ivysaur tank everything we had, even the flamethrower users! How did you do that!" She and Falkner stopped fighting to look towards Red.

Red shrugged. "Leech seed and Synthesis mainly. He was my only poison type." He saw Crystal shoot him a pointed look. "What? It worked well until Koga sent out his Crobat! What are you doing out of Fuscia Janine?"

"She's here because her father accepted a teaching position at the place." Falkner answered. "Which she keeps holding over me. My father could get that position just as easily!"

"Just like he keeps getting schooled by anyone with a lightning type!" Janine shot back with a vicious burn.

"You can't clip a bird's wings with lightning!" Flakne repeated his gym's motto.

Janien smiled. "Just like I can't clip them by setting up a web last time we fought?"

Red stood by awkwardly as the two began to argue. He didn't know exactly what to do, but it seemed lighthearted enough.. Noticing his expression, Crystal explained. "Since their both gym leader heirs, they've known each other for a while. I've seen them argue like this all the time."

Janine finished with a burn against Falkner's flying types, but before he could retaliate, her eyes caught a clock. "Oops." She muttered then flung her cape out of the way. "Got to go take my dad his lunch. Show him that I love him unlike certain flying gym heirs I know!" She hurried off.

The group watched her leave, then, Lyra slunk towards Falkner smiling. "So you and Janine huh?"

"Have nothing going on besides hatred!' That defense might have been better if he wasn't blushing. Lyra laughed triumphantly when she caught sight of her face.

Crystal sighed in reluctant acceptance. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and stared at Emerald and Meg, who were watching the proceedings. "Hey Emerald!"

"What?"

"Could you do me a favor? At that shop that White runs, could you grab me that Physic ribbon? I'd get it myself, but I want to catch up with Falkner.

Emerald nodded in understanding. "Understandable. Where were those ribbons though…." he muttered under his breath.

Meg brightened up. "I remember where they are! I can go with you and show you!"

Emerald nodded. "That can work!" Crystal dug through her bag and grabbed a bit of money. She handed it to Emerald who took it and bowed, an effect that was ruined by his long clothes slipping out. "I'll get it! Come on Meg!" He hurried off and poor Meg was caught being dragged behind him as he hurried off.

The moment the two were out of sight, Crystal gained a serious expression. "Falkner, do you know somewhere that we can talk out of hearing?" She gestured towards the trainers around her who were talking and enjoying the plaza.

Red volunteered. "I saw an alleyway with one entrance and exit. It would be easy to see if we're being eavesdropped on."

"That would work." The group quickly made their way to the alleyway, and the moment they were sure no one was listening in, Crystal started. "Alright Falkner. What's the status and who else is with you?"

Falkner nodded. "I was sent in because of my gym leader stuff, but I found out that Misty and Brock were all able to make it by claiming they wanted to learn advanced techniques for their gyms and Erika landed a teaching role. We're mainly here for backup though. It would be too awkward to have too many groups trying to get close to the Berlitz girl. Have you found her yet?"

Red shook his head. "No. We were going to look for her during the meeting in the coliseum, but we were kinda sidetracked.

"If by sidetracked you mean having to face Cynthia herself in single combat? Well done by the way." Falkner laughed. The feelings Red had managed to forget came back, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Anything we need to know?" Ruby asked. "It would be bad to find out that something goes wrong that could have easily been avoidable."

"Nothing really. My orders were to keep an eye on some of the Lv. 3s since you two girls would be busy observing Belitz and other threats."

Crystal nodded. "We should get going. Emerald should be coming back by now and wouldn't do for him to see all of us gone. You should see what you can do about getting the others to arrange a meeting time so we can pool information."

Falkner nodded and they started making their way back. Red's head began to process the new information. Having backup was a good thing, even if he wished for a bit more. Falkner's comment has unfortunately set his mind to thinking about his loss and people's reactions. he hadn't won but everyone seemed to be complimenting him. He just didn't understand it. He didn't know where to start with the whole Berlitz situation either. At times like these Red missed Green's advice. He missed his rival. Green had been able to sort through problems like these. But he was gone. Red hoped that wherever he ended up, he was having a better time than his old life.

* * *

What he couldn't know was that Green was far from better. In fact, being pinned down by a couple seven foot tall monsters was far from what he wanted in an afterlife. Or anything really.

* * *

**END HERE! YEAH!**

**So this is part one of the town chapter. The second part will mostly focus on Blue and Yellow rather than Red. Then you'll finally be able to see Green do some stuff.**

**Am I purposely keeping him at a cliffhanger? BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! I mean- maybe. **

**So the item I mention in this is the physic ribbon, and it's just an idea I thought would be cool. It would be awesome if you could actually see the items you put on you pokemon in the games, but sadly, it's probably not going to happen. In this story though, items would still be visible, (don't ask how Pika fit all his items during the battle with Cynthia. It was awkward), which means that it would be difficult for some items to work.**

**The ribbons would work like the type enhancer items, such as the twisted spoon or miracle seed. There would be one for each type, and each item is for Pokemon who can't use the normal versions, so Xatee wouldn't have to awkwardly carry around a spoon. **

**Writing wise, I feel like I'm having trouble with Red. I just seem to make him too serious. I'd appreciate tips about writing him or constructive criticism. I want to get better.**

**Next Time- The thief and the princess**


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